the robson years

Widzew Lodz were top of the Polish league - undefeated in 14 matches - and had already knocked Manchester United and Juventus out of the UEFA Cup. But after Paul Cooper's early save at the feet of Wlodzimierz Smolarek from Zbigniew Boniek's through ball, they were bemused by a succession of penetrating Town attacks. Ipswich brushed them aside and the evening was spoilt only by Mick Mills leaving the field on a stretcher with an ankle injury which required 15 stitches. After the match the Widzew coach, Jacek Machcinski, said "We were lucky it was only 5-0." More

Forest had more of the possession but good crosses by John Robertson and Gary Mills were wasted on their mini strike force of Ian Wallace and Peter Ward. Laurie Sivell made a number of fine saves in the first half to lay the foundations for Town's victory. More

Leicester's Tommy Williams scored for both sides in a rather low-key affair on a greasy surface. Mich D'Avray recorded his first Town goal and Roger Osborne, deputising for the injured Frans Thijssen, made his final appearance in an Ipswich shirt. More

Without Cooper, Thijssen, Beattie, Brazil and O'Callaghan (all injured) and Butcher (suspended), Ipswich looked to have preserved the Football League's last unbeaten record by the time George Burley was added to the injured list 8 minutes from the end. But bottom-of-the-table Brighton scored almost immediately to inflict Town's first defeat of the season in their 15th match. More

A cracking match full of flowing football and some classic goals was marred by controversy surrounding the dismissal of Terry Butcher. The Town defender, already cautioned for a foul on Mick Channon, floored Steve Williams in the 74th minute and Kevin Keegan appeared to urge the referee to send him off. Mick Mills intervened and the two England colleagues were briefly locked in combat before being separated. Southampton equalised from the resulting free kick, Steve Moran slotting home after a scramble in the Ipswich goalmouth. More

Ipswich, hit by injuries and with Alan Brazil and Kevin Beattie playing only after late fitness tests, made the worst possible start by conceding an early goal. However they hung on for a 3-2 aggregate victory with Beattie - the only player wearing a short-sleeved shirt on a bitterly cold evening - the star performer. Robin Turner had the chance to calm their nerves in the 83rd minute but struck a post. It was so cold that one Ipswich journalist confessed to wearing thick pyjamas underneath his clothes. More

Frans Thijssen aggravated his hamstring injury in the early stages but had to play on because Paul Cooper received a painful knock on his knee in a 16th minute clash with Derek Monaghan. Russell Osman took over the goalkeeper's jersey shortly after the interval and helped earn Town a point with a fine save from John Wile's volley. Town failed to score for the first time since Easter Monday, also a 0-0 draw with West Brom. More