Watching Ipswich Town in the 70s

In the autumn of 1971 I left home to attend university in the south of England. The Swinging 60s had by-passed my northern town. I had waited until I left with the blessing of my family (I was the first of my lot to go to university & it was a big deal for mum and dad). I was looking forward to my new independence, to a bit more excitement than that offered by my provincial English backwater. I would miss my family & friends. I would also miss my football team, Scunthorpe United. For the past four seasons I had gone to as many away games as possible. To compensate for deserting the Old Show Ground (now a Sainsbury’s) we went to 12 of the first 13 games of the 1971-72 campaign. We missed Southend away on a Tuesday night. It was no hardship, the car journeys across England were great fun. The team was decent too. The season ended with the first promotion in the years I had been a regular supporter. Mum agreed to send me the weekly local paper so that I could keep up-to-date with a team ignored by the national rags.

One of the benefits of moving to Colchester was that I was only 15 miles away from First Division football. I had been to top games but never regularly. My Saturdays were for watching the “Iron”. Ipswich Town had had their moment of glory 10 years previously when Alf Ramsey had fashioned a team which won the league in the first season back in the top tier. In the following decade they were relegated and had bounced back. They were a mid-table team at best. It did not matter. We held no affinity for Ipswich but now had an opportunity to see the best teams play and still be home for our tea. I took the train up there once. At the station the “football special” carrying the West Ham fans back to London was packed with skinheads. I had experienced hooliganism in the lower divisions. At places like Mansfield and Tranmere a mixed bunch of home fans would try to intimidate the coachload of us who had travelled. Sometimes we would stand our ground sometimes we would run. To see such a large, homogenous mob trying to run amok in this pleasant town was an eye-opener.

Ipswich were managed by Bobby Robson. We were lucky that while we lived in the area he was to construct the first of his two successful teams by which he made his reputation as a manager. In 1971-72 we were going to Portman Road to watch the opposition, by Xmas 1972 we were watching an exciting and winning home side. The 1971 team was not a settled one. Only five of the side played in over 30 games. The top scorer with only 8 goals was Rod Belfitt. He had been a squad player in the successful Leeds team. He was a lumbering English centre forward with not the best  touch. A bit like Andy Carroll ! The emergence of some fine young players and a couple of masterstrokes in the transfer market by Robson transformed the club’s fortunes in the next season.

His first move was to sell Derek Jefferson, an ever present central defender, to Wolves. To an outsider it seemed as if he was losing a key player. He knew though that he had a replacement already at the club. A young scruff called Kevin Beattie had played a few games at left back. He was to play over 200 games for the club, became the first winner of the P.F.A. Young Player of the Year, and took to the First Division like a duck to water. Strong, brave in the tackle and in the air, he had a natural positional sense. His partnership with the Northern Ireland international, Alan Hunter, flanked by full backs Mick Mills and Colin Harper, provided a solid back four. To watch the precocious Beattie deal with star forwards was one of the delights of watching Ipswich in this season.

Fifteen games into the season Robson sold the club’s top scorer, Belfitt, to Everton. It was actually a swap (with £40,000 going to Everton) for 21 year old David Johnson. Everton had been champions in 1970 but had not maintained their position. It seemed an odd move by Robson, a big number 9 was de rigour for English teams in those days. Johnson was a revelation. To watch his pace and his touch was a delight. The manager also had another ace up his sleeve for the forward line. Trevor Whymark (22)  was another ready for permanent promotion to the first team. As slight as Johnson with an unlikely and impressive ability in the air, the pair formed an ambitious and dynamic partnership which produced the goals the side were missing.

The midfield was the domain of Colin Viljoen. A South African who won two caps for England, Viljoen was a stocky schemer who gave his best years to Ipswich. The success he had at the club, the freedom to be the big guy in midfield, probably stopped him moving elsewhere. He was a canny, intelligent passer of the ball. His best mate alongside him was Peter Morris, a tough pro who had played 300 times for Mansfield before joining Ipswich. Every team needs such a player who is limited but is a grafter. He did the work in midfield so that Viljoen did not have to. On one of the midfield flanks was Mick Lambert, a short haired, side parting, touchline hugger. The local farmers, at a time when long haired fancy dans were regarded with suspicion, loved him. On the other side was Bryan Hamilton, another Northern Ireland international who Robson had brought from Linfield. For some reason, never duplicated at his other clubs, Hamilton was a bit of a goal machine for Ipswich. It was the way the system worked. He was free to wander into the penalty area to help out and had the happy knack of knocking them in. Hamilton was the joint top league scorer with Whymark on 11, a more than handy return.

There were some memorable games at Portman Road that season as the new team found it’s feet and rose to new challenges. A 4-1 pasting of Manchester United, always a glamour side, sent the crowd wild. Arsenal won 2-1 with Alan Ball showing why he had won the World Cup. A Texaco Cup semi-final against Newcastle was played on a Tuesday afternoon as the country was hit by power cuts. David Johnson was an instant hit. When he was on one he was faster than anything we had ever seen with a level of skill that always surprised opponents. This season 10 players appeared in over 30 games. The eleventh place was Belfitt/Johnson’s. the continuity and team spirit engendered was rewarded with fourth place in the division, a Texaco Cup win and qualification for the U.E.F.A. Cup.

In the following 9 seasons Ipswich finished outside of the top 6 only once. In that year they won the F.A. Cup. Robson developed the team with new players from the youth team (John Wark, Alan Brazil) and bought some star players, especially the two Dutchmen, Muhren and Thijssen. It was this first team he built which gained and then established this success. In the next year a U.E.F.A. Cup win over Lazio saw Whymark score all 4 goals. (The return is a legend for the brawls on and off the pitch and a groin high tackle on Johnson). The introduction of George Burley added to the energy of the team. In 1974-75 I saw two F.A. Cup semi finals against West Ham. The replay, at Stamford Bridge, was a great battle for two teams who did not make a habit of days out at Wembley. West Ham won 2-1.

All this was a great introduction to top class football. Watching a new team achieve so much, seeing new players rise to new challenges, all in the cosy, friendly Portman Road environment, was a blast. By the time Robson had built his second great side I was an Aston Villa season ticket holder. I was committed to our own attempt to get among the English football elite. It was, in our title year, Ipswich who were our main challengers for the title. I had, obviously, a different opinion of the merits of this side.