At long last, an empathic victory at home, but we will need lots more of the same if we are to make it up the football pyramid. With eight of the last twelve games to be played at Portman Road, this win came at the right time.
As I have argued on many occasions here, I firmly believe that football is no more than 40% technical ability and 60% confidence and momentum is the thing that drives teams forward. In fairness, we have been playing rather well, but without the killer instinct, and on Saturday we showed at last that we have what it takes to rise up the table again. It was a determined team performance; which was all the more impressive given out latest results, the crowd turning, and the fact that were chasing a one-goal deficit.
It was so important too to see one of our leading strikers bag a couple of goals and in truth, Kayden Jackson could, and perhaps should have had a hat-trick. Alan Judge also found himself on two goals and was obviously a bit peeved when manager Paul Lambert took him off.
Judge is finally starting to look the player that we had all hoped to see when he signed on the dotted line, and maybe now we will begin to reap the rewards of his newfound confidence, which was seriously lacking earlier on in the season. There were, of course, mitigating circumstances for this but there is no point dwelling on them again here.
Now we have to continue where we left off next Saturday when the Blues entertain Oxford United here, and if momentum is to be built, then we must find a way of winning once again. It is pleasing to see some shoots of recovery growing but consistency has been our problem this term and bringing back Tomas Holy in goal was a wise decision in my view. His long kick upfield led to us taking the lead before half-time and he is much quicker at dispatching the ball out of defence than Will Norris, who I think is, quite frankly, over-rated. When Holy is in the side the defence seems much more settled and his huge presence must be advantageous at times when our defenders are under the cosh.
F.W. editor of Vital Ipswich
