IPSWICH TOWN 2 CITY 1
League Division 1
11th March 1969
Attendance 24,312
Scorer
City Doyle(9)
Ipswich Wigg(11), O’Rourke(31)
Ref E Wallace
City Corrigan, Book, Mann, Doyle, Booth, Pardoe, Owen, Connor, Summerbee, Coleman, Young – sub Bowyer(45)
Ipswich Best, Mills, Houghton, Morris, Baxter, Jefferson, Hegan, Viljoen, Wigg, O’Rourke, Woods
FROM THE PRESS BOX
lpswich deserved to win this fast-moving encounter between two good middle-of-the-table First Division teams at Portman Road last night. They refused to be demoralized by an early City goal and quickly got on level terms, and after scoring a second goal before half-time produced some fine football, always a slightly superior brand to that of their opponents.
City were without Lee, Bell and Oakes, who are with the England party, and introduced a new goalkeeper, Joe Corrigan, while Ipswich had their 21-year-old reserve forward, Ron Wigg, as leader of the attack in place of Crawford, recently transferred.
It was a lively opening. City. quickly on the offensive, opened the scoring after nine minutes when Doyle hooked the ball in following a corner on the right, but two minutes later Wigg replied for Ipswich with a fine shot on the run.
The pattern of quick raids by both sides continued. Ipswich, however, seemed to carry the greater threat and they deservedly went ahead on the half hour when O’Rourke headed in from Hegan’s corner.
City pressed determinedly near the end of the half, forcing a series of corners and employing both wingers Coleman and Summerbee to good advantage, but the nearest they came to equalising was when Coleman twice almost surprised Best with long-range shots.
City restarted with Bowyer in place of Coleman and immediately their hopes were raised when Young broke through and was just off target with a fierce shot. Ipswich continued to be slightly the more penetrative.
Nobody worked harder for Ipswich than Hegan, who is transfer-listed at £80,000 and was watched last night by the Tottenham Hotspur manager, Bill Nicholson.
Ipswioh became more dominant towards the end, and Wigg, after heading narrowly over, was presented with a good chance but was only able to send the ball flying yards over the bar.
TOM FREEMAN WRITING IN THE TIMES 12TH MARCH 1969