A Season With Sharona ITFC 2011-12: This Indecisions Bugging Me! Reading 1-0 ITFC 31 12 2011

All week I had been hankering on about going to Reading, Shar was definitely not up for it, preferring to listen to Brenner Woolley’s commentary on the radio before getting ready for the New Year’s Eve party. We were seeing in the new year in at Trimley along with Ivan, Jacqui and Matt White & The Emulsions. I had also asked Max on Thursday if he wanted to go to the match and all I got was a grumpy “No, I’ve got to get an essay finished, I haven’ t got time.” What he really meant is that he wanted to go out early on the piss!

So at 9am Saturday morning I was reserved to staying at home. Things changed after I had a phone call from my mate Paul assuming that I would be going to the match, he was working in Oxford and was aiming to get along to the “Mad Stad.” I told him we were off out at night etc, etc and left it at that. After a couple of minutes deliberation I decided to ring the ticket office to see if I could get a ticket on the coach, all I got was an answer phone message saying that they were shut, so I went and woke Max up “Do you want to meet Paul in Reading for footie?” I was surprised when he replied “yes”! “Right come on then were leaving in half an hour.”

So from that point on I was like a little kid, all excited! Sharon knocked us up a pack-up (nice tiger bread crispy ham rolls which made a real mess in the car) whilst I had a shower and got myself ready. We were on the road at 10.45am, Max drove and were arrived in Reading at 1pm. It’s a pity that we weren’t more decisive during the week as we would have saved £4 on the ticket prices, never mind.

As the match kicked off at 3pm my thought’s were with Sam in South Korea toasting in 2012 at that precise moment, happy new year son x.

I had a feeling that JET was going to start the match, score and that we would see a decent game (half the reason for the late decision to go). As it turned out he did start, hit the bar and had his best performance in a Town shirt. We had the rub of the green with the referees decision’s and I felt that we would sneak a win. Ironically the only goal of the game came when Alex Pearce headed in Jobi McAnuff’s free kick which had been given to Reading on the edge of our box after Lee Bowyer had handled the ball in the 64th minute. We were really unlucky to come away empty handed, I think that it was one of our better performances of a disappointing season so far and at the halfway point we are in 19th position (same as last year) with 27 points (12 points off the play-offs).

There was a good following of Ipswich fans (over 1500) who created plenty of noise and banter with their Reading counterparts, my favourite inappropriate song was “He fondles his mum, he fondles his mum, Adam LaFondre he fondles his mum” Another amusing incident occurred when Lee Bowyer gyrated his pelvis whilst facing the Reading fans, boy did he get a bite! “Bowyer, Bowyer you’re a c**t.” We managed to get back onto the M4 at 5.30pm, I drove home and after a brief stop at McDonalds in Chelmsford we arrived just before 8pm. Half an hour later after a shower and change we were off out again I dropped Max and Leanne off at their party and took Sharon off to decorate the new year in with Matt White. Thanks to Shar for sorting out the pack up etc and for going to M&S to get our NYE picnic plus of course acting as taxi driver! Happy 2012.