Well, well, well… Town deliver a night to remember in IP1 as the Hammers are, indeed, hammered

As the team sheets were boomed out over the PA Alf was thinking blimey, West Ham are a team of household names and Town sound like the ‘What’s left in the back of the fridge X1…’

The Ipswich line-up with the exception of Aaron Cresswell and Ibrahima Sonko, being made up of the who’s been left out, who’s been loaned out and who’s on the ‘to leave by mutual consent’ list.

Town were up against it even before a ball had been kicked. Their dip into the transfer window for a central defender had proved fruitless, they are low on confidence and their East London rivals were the in-form league leaders.

Ipswich have a reputation for struggling against tall strikers, defending set pieces, being lightweight and are an easy touch at home. West Ham boasted a front line were led by a muscular giant and one time England international, they are a team that specialise in set piece plays, roughing up the opposition and winning away.

On paper it was no contest. But this is the Championship and nothing can be taken for granted.

Alf has had a feeling all season that if Town got it right someone would take a right hammering. This was something of a local derby and Town haven’t done local derbies of late so little did he think that West Ham would be on the end of it.

It was time to seize the day.

Town indeed seized the day emphatically within two minutes when Michael Chopra, playing on the shoulder of the last defender, smashed the ball past the shell shocked Hammers keeper.

Ex-City boy Robert Green had hardly drawn breath and cleared his head after his North Stand reception and his first contribution to the game was to retrieve the ball out of the back of the net.

Ipswich made it hard work for themselves from thereon. Defensive jitters led to the ball being given away time after time and the pressure began to mount. To their credit Town stuck to their task like terriers and hassled, closed down and scrapped in every area of the pitch.

Confidence began to build, especially in attack. Town were slick and incisive, energetic and well balanced. It was truly entertaining to watch.

Half-time loomed and Ipswich went further ahead when Daryl Murphy was quick to react to a Tommy Smith header. It was time to batten up the hatches and hang on to a two goal cushion. This is Ipswich Town we are talking about so inevitably they surrendered their two goal lead within a minute from a free-kick set piece.

Momentarily heads went down. A sense of unease crept through the crowd. Town fans have seen too many leads squandered by the ‘Cave-in Kings’ of Championship football.

Out of the blue came the match defining incident. Chopra clean through on goal shifted the ball right to create the angle for a roll in and last defender George McCartney piles into the back of him for a clear penalty.

Can someone please explain to Alf why it was not also a straight red card?

Man of the Match Lee Martin converted in style and in hindsight the lack of red card may have been a blessing as Paul Jewell’s boys may just have taken their foot off the gas.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas finished off the night in spectacular style, first with a left foot thunderbolt and then with a stoppage time fifth.

Ipswich to a man were immense. It was a contest that few Town supporters will forget.