Ipswich Town

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn professional until 1936; the club was elected to the Football League in 1938. Ipswich won the league title in 1961–62, their first season in the top flight, and finished runners-up in 1980–81 and 1981–82. They finished in the top six in the First Division for ten years, and won the FA Cup in 1978 and UEFA Cup in 1981. They have never lost at home in European competition, having defeated Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio and Barcelona. Ipswich Town have played their home games at Portman Road since 1884. The club's traditional home colours are blue shirts with white shorts and blue socks. They have a long-standing rivalry with Norwich City, against whom they contest the East Anglian derby.

In Their Own Story

Ipswich were without four of their FA Cup-winning team through injury, including Kevin Beattie, Allan Hunter, Roger Osborne, and David Geddis. Tommy Parkin made his full professional debut at Wembley. With eight minutes gone, a volley from Parkin was turned behind by Forest goalkeeper Peter Shilton for a corner. Two minutes later, Martin O'Neill scored in the tenth minute after Ipswich defenders failed to clear a Robertson cross. Ronald Atkin of The Observer reported that Shilton made another 'stunning' save to deny Brian Talbot before Peter Withe doubled Forest's lead on 27 minutes. Robertson cut in from the left and turned the ball back to Colin Barrett, whose cross Withe headed past Paul Cooper. In the second half, Larry Lloyd scored from a Robertson free kick after John Wark had fouled Withe. Ipswich's Trevor Whymark was substituted for Robin Turner on 66 minutes, but Forest scored a fourth from an O'Neill strike following a Robertson cross. O'Neill was immediately substituted by Forest manager Brian Clough for David Needham before he could complete his hat-trick. Just three minutes before full-time, Robertson scored Forest's fifth goal. Ipswich's George Burley waited too long for a pass from Russell Osman and let Robertson steal in to take the ball and strike it past Cooper from the edge of the area. The game ended 5–0, a winning margin that, as of 2023, remains unbeaten. It was also the largest winning margin in the Charity Shield since the 1968 match where Manchester City beat West Bromwich Albion 6–1.

Reader's Guide

The club was founded as an amateur team in 1878 and were known as Ipswich A.F.C. until 1888 when they merged with Ipswich Rugby Club to form Ipswich Town Football Club. The team won a number of local cup competitions, including the Suffolk Challenge Cup and the Suffolk Senior Cup. After playing in the Norfolk & Suffolk League from 1899 and the South East Anglian League between 1903 and 1906, they joined the Southern Amateur League in 1907 and, with results improving steadily, became champions in the 1921–22 season. The club won the league a further three times, in 1929–30, 1932–33 and 1933–34, before becoming founder members of the Eastern Counties Football League at the end of the 1934–35 season. A year later, the club turned professional and joined the Southern League, which they won in its first season and finished third in the next. Ipswich were elected to the Football League on 30 May 1938, and played in the Third Division South until the end of the 1953–54 season, when they won the title and promotion to the Second Division. The club were immediately relegated back to the Third Division South the following year at the end of a poor season, but made better progress after Scott Duncan was replaced as team manager by Alf Ramsey in August 1955. The club won the Third Division South title again in 1956–57, and returned to the higher division. This time, Ipswich established themselves in the Second Division, and as the division champions, won promotion to the top level of English football, the First Division, in 1960–61. In the top flight for the first time, Ipswich became champions of the Football League at the first attempt in 1961–62. As English league champions, they qualified for the 1962–63 European Cup, defeating Maltese team Floriana 14–1 on aggregate before losing to AC Milan. Ramsey left the club in April 1963 to take charge of the England national team. Under his leadership the England team won the 1966 World Cup. He received a knighthood for 'services to football' in 1967. Ramsey was replaced by Jackie Milburn, under whose leadership fortunes on the pitch plummeted. Two years after winning the league title, Ipswich slipped down to the Second Division in 1964, conceding 121 league goals in 42 games – one of the worst-ever defensive records in English senior football. Milburn quit after just one full season and was replaced by Bill McGarry in 1964.

Did You Know?

• Ipswich Town won the league title in 1961–62, their first season in the top flight.
• They have never lost at home in European competition, having defeated Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio and Barcelona.
• The club's record league win is 7–0, but the source does not specify against whom.
• Ipswich Town's first black player in the football league was Steve Stacey, who debuted on 14 September 1968.