THERE were more lows than highs during Ipswich Town’s 2010-11 season. In addition to wading through some of the all-important end-of-season statistics, Carl Marston reflects on a few of his own experiences from the press rooms up and down the land.

STATISTICS galore and some off-beat reflections from the press room:

DOUBLES AND DOUBLED

TOWN notched up five league doubles during the season, but were doubled six times.

Here is a breakdown of where Town accrued their 62 points:

6: Bristol City, Cardiff City, Crystal Palace, Doncaster Rovers, Sheffield United

4: Burnley, Leeds United, Middlesbrough, Scunthorpe United,

3: Derby County, Leicester City, Millwall, Preston North End

1: Barnsley, Coventry City, Hull City, Portsmouth

0: Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, QPR, Reading, Swansea City, Watford

MY FAVOURITE AWAY TRIP

Town may have trounced Doncaster 6-0 at the Keepmoat, and kicked off their season with an encouraging 3-1 win a Middlesbrough, but like just about every Town supporter, I have to pick the Emirates and that breathtaking Carling Cup semi-final. A crowd of just under 60,000, a wonderful stadium and Town nursing a 1-0 aggregate lead going into the final half-hour. I even started dreaming of Wembley. That will teach me.

MY LEAST FAVOURITE AWAY TRIP

Another obvious one – the 4-1 defeat at Norwich City. But my memory fails me. Enough said.

LEADING MARKSMEN

Town’s leading scorers (league goals in brackets)

11 David Norris (8)

10 Jason Scotland (10)

9 Connor Wickham (9)

7 Tamas Priskin (4)

6 Grant Leadbitter (5)

5 Jimmy Bullard (5)

Championship’s leading scorers:

27 Danny Graham (Watford) (24)

23 Grant Holt (Norwich) (21)

23 Shane Long (Reading) (21)

MEDIA FACILITIES

A little self-indulgent, I know, but here’s my top three media suites and facilities, and the worst three.

Best

1 Arsenal – managers’ interview room was like a theatre, and the food could have been served at the Dorchester!

2 Chelsea – not quite up to the Gunners’ high standards. The microphone whistled during Ancelotti’s interview, and the food was four star rather than five star.

3 Middlesbrough – a great start to the season, with a lunchtime curry, rice and mushy peas. Better than the school dinners of my youth.

Worst

1 Reading – not bad facilities, but the wi-fi didn’t work and I tore out most of my hair trying to beat the midweek deadline of 11pm. Achieved with just a couple of minutes to spare.

2 Barnsley – the collapsable tables meant you were only a second away from smashing your computer on the floor. Turned-up sandwiches in the media hut.

3 Scunthorpe – no room to put your elbows, let alone swing a cat, in the tight press box. No food served until the end, when left-over pasties were shared out while you were trying to write your match report. The pastry got everywhere.

MILES and MILES

Longest away trips: Plymouth (round trip of 654 miles)

Shortest away trip: Norwich (round trip of 88 miles)

Busy week on the road: Barnsley and Doncaster away (combined 710 miles) in space of four days. Ironically just 18 miles separate Oakwell from the Keepmoat!

ODD STATS

Most appearances as an unused substitute (outfield player) – 23 Jaime Peters

Six appeal: Longest unbeaten league run was six (Doncaster at home to Hull at home), longest losing league sequence was also six (Derby at home to Preston away)

Symmetry: Town picked up 62 points and scored 62 goals

Poor at home: 33 points was only the 16th best in the division

Better away: 29 points was eighth best in the division

TIMING

Town scored more goals (16) between 46 and 60 minutes than any other period

Town conceded more goals (17) between 76 and 90 minutes

While Town only scored 10 goals between 76 and 90 minutes, Norwich managed 22 goals in that last quarter of an hour, and only let in 13. That tells a tale.

PRESS CONFERENCES

Blink and you would have missed it: The shortest post-match press conference was Sean O’Driscoll’s fleeting visit to the Keepmoat press lounge after Town had just thumped his Doncaster side 6-0. By the time that I had found my Dictaphone, he was on his way out of the door. He stayed for about one minute. He began by challenging a member of the press to “ask me a stupid question,” and someone obliged by asking him how “disappointed” he was with the 6-0 defeat! That was the last straw.

Packed out: The busiest midweek press conference was for the unveiling of Kieron Dyer as Town’s new loanee from West Ham. The reporters rolled in off the train from London

Bring along your sandwiches: Most of Roy Keane’s pre-match press conferences lasted between 35 and 40 minutes, and I timed one at 48 minutes. I think he only stopped because he had to go and take training! They were always an event.

CROWDS

Biggest home: 29,258 (v Norwich).

Smallest home: 16,728 (v Leicester).

Average home: 19,614.

Aggregate home: 451,135.

Home ranking: Town had the ninth-highest average attendance in the division.

Top three: 1 Leeds 27,299; 2 Reading 26,023; 3 Norwich 25,386.

Bottom three: 24 Scunthorpe 5,548; 2 Doncaster 10,258; 3 Preston 11,768.