Once again Town`s inconsistency came to the fore. They were the better side for the opening half hour but fell away disappointingly after lowly Lincoln took the lead. They struggled to make headway in the thick mud and could have no complaints about the final result. More
The Victoria Ground had a light covering of snow as Jimmy Belcher made his debut for the injured Reg Pickett. On a pitch that cut up quite badly, Town`s forceful football carried them into the 5th round for the second time in their history. It was also their first win, after five defeats, against a Stoke side which had lost at home only once all season. Town twice had the ball in the net only for Ray Crawford and Derek Rees to be foiled by offside decisions, but Rees scored the all-important goal, shooting into an unguarded net when the ball ran loose after a collision between Crawford and Wilf Hall. More
On the worst day ever for postponements in the Football League, 28 matches were called off. The match at Portman Road survived, although the pitch was rock-hard under a slightly-thawed top covering. Reg Pickett was injured in the 18th minute, limped for the rest of the half and didn`t re-appear after the break. Despite this handicap Ipswich staged a gallant fight against third-placed Fulham. Jimmy Leadbetter scored a brilliant equaliser, cutting past George Cohen to whip a shot beyond Tony Macedo, as Town more than held their own in the second half. Johnny Haynes won the game with a free kick seconds from time after Roy Bailey dived on the ball just outside the area. Haynes` shot found a gap in the Town wall and Maurice Cook distracted Bailey with a decoy run. More
To the surprise of many, referee Denis Howell, a Birmingham MP and later Minister for Sport, allowed the match to proceed in snow on a frost-bound pitch. Laughter isn`t often heard at important cup ties but fans saw the humour as some of the less sure-footed players slipped around, even when the ball wasn`t near. There was never much to choose between the sides, Town eventually winning thanks to their first penalty of the season, awarded for a push on Peter Berry by Derek Hawksworth. Ray Crawford`s spot kick crept into the net under the dive of Ray Wood, who had been the Manchester United goalkeeper in the 1957 FA Cup final and was a survivor of the Munich air crash. More
Ipswich faded after a promising first half against the Second Division leaders. They were a little unlucky to be behind at the interval but were well beaten after being on the defensive for long spells in the second half. More
