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Derby County v Ipswich Town



Saturday 7th May 2016– 12:30
Pride Park






Opening Thought – Jamma

For the first time in what seems an age, I came away from Portman Road on Saturday feeling that I had got value for money from my ticket. There had been nothing riding on the match, and the reduced pressure made for an entertaining spectacle, as both sides looked to get the ball down and play. Neither defence was on top form, which meant that Luke Varney’s late header was enough to ensure the Blues avoided the unwanted record of being the first team in the club’s history to go a whole season without scoring at least three goals in a game. But what we lacked in solidity at the back, we more than made up for with our attacking enterprise, starting with the two full-backs. Both Josh Emmanuel and Myles Kenlock had shown glimpses of their potential with cameo roles earlier in the season. But what Saturday told me more than anything was that these two exciting young talents would be ready to step up if called upon in 2016/17. The youngsters got forward with pace at every opportunity and were not afraid to take on their opposite number. Perhaps most promising of all, though, was that they possessed the quality of delivery to go with their surging runs, with Emmanuel getting a couple of dangerous balls into the box and Kenlock supplying the cross from which Varney headed in the winner. This adventurous spirit appeared to rub off on the rest of the team as, with the shackles off, we played some forward-thinking football, allowing the midfield to link up with the front four to good effect. The traditional post-match lap of honour/appreciation may have felt rather hollow in comparison to this time last year, but at least the supporters went away with something to smile about (and not just Newcastle and Sunderland’s results!).

In many ways, the clash against the Dons provided a microcosm of Ipswich Town’s season (I hope Marko appreciates my sentiment here! ). Particularly at Portman Road, we have been guilty of more than one false dawn, where we have threatened to produce a performance but then shot ourselves in the foot by letting our opponents back into it. Both Bristol City and Wolves spring to mind as instances of matches where Town were in control but somehow contrived to take only a point, each time from a 2-2 draw. Against the Robins, we looked to be heading for a comfortable 3 points, before two quick-fire goals left us grateful for a late equaliser. It was a similar story against Wolves, as we twice took the lead but had to settle for a share of the spoils. Even on the odd occasion when we have managed to maintain our level for 90 minutes – Leeds and Nottingham Forest being the prime examples – we haven’t been able to build upon our display in the subsequent game. Mick McCarthy has said that he will be sitting down with Terry Connor to analyse how the season has gone, and try to identify the root cause of this inconsistency. When you look at Burnley, who have gone a club record 22 league matches unbeaten to clinch promotion, that is the kind of level to which we should be aspiring. Our final opponents, Derby, are another example of a club which has eked out the results when they need them most, as they have banished memories of their late-season collapse in 2014/15 to win four of their last six games, and draw the other two against potential play-off rivals Sheffield Wednesday and Brighton. If we can get a positive result against the Rams, we will be able to go away and enjoy the summer with a bit of optimism, ready to do it all again in August.



Ipswich Town 2015/16 alternative awards

In the week that the club hosted its annual awards dinner, we thought we would come up with our own, more interesting/unusual categories. See if you agree with the following, and feel free to suggest your own…!

Goal of the season – Kevin Bru v Bolton

We can’t argue with the ‘official’ decision here, as Bruuuuuu’s 30-yard screamer came out of nowhere to give us a foothold in a game which we should have gone on to win (around 15 secs. in the video).



Save of the season – Bartosz Bialkowski v Bristol City

To be fair to Bart, I could have picked out any number of his wonder saves from the second half of the campaign – QPR away could have provided a shortlist of its own! As it is, I’ve gone with this incredible stop from a seemingly goalbound Korey Smith strike (1:06 in the video).



Funniest moment of the season – Charlton’s Johann Berg Gudmundsson gets no mercy from the Blue Army

This humorous moment from the Valley stands out for me, when the Addicks’ midfielder got caught by the ball in, ahem, a tender area, eliciting a huge cheer from the 2,500 travelling Town fans. The cheers soon turned to incensed boos, though, as the referee at least felt some sympathy for the stricken midfielder and stopped play with the Blues in possession.

Chant of the season – Town’s away support reminding Fulham that, no matter how far local rivals Chelsea have fallen this season, they still haven’t reached the Cottagers’ level

If football supporters were well-mannered and didn’t go out of their way to insult the opposition, this chant might have gone something like ‘Chelsea are poor, but not as poor as you’… I’m sure you catch my drift!

Opposition chant of the season – MK Dons’ fans’ variation on ‘Que sera, sera…’

There will have been some wrinkled brows around Portman Road as the Dons faithful burst into song with this familiar tune. It’s popular enough at this time of the season but, instead of the usual ‘Wem-ber-ley’, they showed their black humour by replacing it with ‘Shrews-bury’.

Best Mick McCarthy quote of the season – Super Mick’s response to Steve Evans’ sour grapes: ‘He can talk, can’t he? He certainly gives his jaw some exercise… I don’t know what else.’

Need I say more? McCarthy issued a classy response to his opposite number’s comments about Ipswich’s credentials as a top six side, and how he would take it if we were the benchmark for 6th. Turns out that he was wide of the mark on that one too!

Best Mick McCarthy-ism of the season – ‘Bonkers!’

‘Goosed’ made a late-season challenge, with the likes of Teddy Bishop and David McGoldrick returning from injury, but there’s only one winner here. Applicable to a range of contexts, from Town’s wildly inconsistent form to the unpredictable nature of the Championship, just about everything about 2015/16 can be summed up by the word ‘bonkers’! Which takes us nicely on to…

Most ineffectual long throw-in in the Football League – Jonas Knudsen

No disrespect to Jonas, who must be a good tip for ‘Most improved player of the season’, but that long throw of his, about which we heard so much on his arrival, has been rank awful, resulting in a grand total of zero goals. The Danish Rory Delap, my elbow!



The Opposition





Derby County F.C. was formed in 1884 as an offshoot of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, in an attempt to give players and supporters a winter interest as well as secure the cricket club extra revenue. The football team played their home matches at the cricket club’s Racecourse Ground.

Arguably the most important game in the club's history came in the 1886 FA Cup, when a 2–0 victory over Aston Villa, already an emerging force in English football, helped establish Derby County F.C. on the English football map, and attract an invitation into the inaugural Football League. In 1895, the club moved to a new stadium, The Baseball Ground (so called because it was previously used for baseball), which became their home for the next 102 years, and adopted their traditional colours of black and white.

Although Derby were inconsistent in the league, they were a strong force in the FA Cup, appearing in three finals in six years around the turn of the 20th century but losing all three.

Between 1906 and 1925, Derby had some inconsistent years, with a number of relegations and promotions between the First and Second Divisions of the Football League. However, the appointment of George Jobey in 1925 kick-started a successful period for the Rams and, after promotion in 1926, the club became a formidable force, with high finishes from the late 1920s and all through the 1930s, including finishing runners-up twice.

Derby were one of several clubs to close down during the Second World War but restarted in the early 1940s. Derby were one step ahead of the opposition when competitive football resumed with the 1946 FA Cup, and won their first major trophy with a 4–1 victory over Charlton Athletic. The league restarted the following season after a break due to World War II and, under the management of Stuart McMillan, Derby finished fourth and third in the 1948 and 1949 seasons respectively. A steady decline then set in and the club was relegated in 1953 after nearly 30 years in the top flight, and again in 1955 to drop to the third tier of English football for the first time in their history.

In 1967, Brian Clough and Peter Taylor took over and led them to their greatest glory. Derby were promoted to the First Division in 1969, finished fourth in 1970, but got banned from competing in Europe in 1971 due to financial irregularities, and won their first ever Football League Championship in 1972. Though Derby did not retain their title the following season, they did reach the semi-finals of the European Cup. They lost to Juventus in a controversial match which was subject to subsequent allegations that the Italian club had bribed the match officials, leading Clough to call the Italians "cheating bastards". Clough's frequent outspoken comments against football's establishment eventually led to him falling out with the board of directors at the club, and Clough and Taylor left in 1973. Such was their impact on the club that, 37 years later, a 9'0 high bronze statue of the pair was erected outside the Pride Park Stadium in commemoration of their legacy.

Despite the departure of Clough and Taylor, Derby's league success was repeated in the 1974–75 season, when they won the title. However, Derby's form declined towards the end of the 1970s and they went down to the Second Division in 1980. Though they challenged well in their first season, Derby's stay in the Second Division was not a happy one and they were relegated to the Third Division for only the second time in their history in 1984.

After the relegation, the club appointed Arthur Cox, who turned their fortunes around with successive promotions in the mid-1980s to get them back into the old First Division in 1987.

The club was relegated back to the Second Division in 1991 due to lack of investment. At this time, local newspaper businessman Lionel Pickering became the majority shareholder of the club. In 1995, Jim Smith became the new manager and, although the new season started slowly, throwing his brief of 'a top-half finish' out of the window, Smith guided the Rams to a second place finish and the Premier League, by now the top flight of English football. After finishing an admirable 12th in their first season back in the top flight, the club left the Baseball Ground, its home of 102 years, to move in to the new 33,597-seat Pride Park Stadium for the 1997–98 season.

The club settled into its new home well as it recorded back-to-back top 10 finishes for the first time since their 1970s peak, before a sudden decline at the turn of the millennium saw three years of struggle. The Rams were relegated after a six-year stay in the top flight in 2002. Former Ipswich Town boss George Burley was brought in as manager, but the club was put into receivership, then sold in October 2003 for £3 to a group led by Jeremy Keith.

After finishing 20th in the 2003–04 season, a dramatic improvement in the 2004–05 season saw Derby finish 4th in the Football League Championship, as they qualified for a promotion play-off spot, though they lost in the semi-finals to Preston North End. Soon afterwards, Burley resigned, citing differences between himself and the board.

In April 2006, a consortium of local businessmen led by former vice-chairman Peter Gadsby bought the club, reducing its debt and returning Pride Park Stadium to the club's ownership in the process. In June 2006, former Preston North End boss Billy Davies was appointed Derby County's new permanent manager. In his first season, Davies took Derby to the Premier League via the play-offs. After a poor start to the season, manager Billy Davies left by mutual consent in November.

He was succeeded by Paul Jewell, who failed to save the club as Derby suffered the Premier League's earliest ever relegation, in March, and recorded the Premier League's lowest ever points total.

Derby's match at home to Sheffield United on 13 September 2008 generated much media coverage as it was approaching a year since Derby's last league win, a run which saw the club break the English league record for most matches without a win.

Just four days short of the anniversary, Derby finally won, earning Paul Jewell his first league win as Derby boss at his 27th attempt. Jewell resigned as manager in December 2008 after a run of just 2 wins in 11 matches. He was replaced by Nigel Clough, son of former manager Brian.

Clough Jnr. led the club to 18th place and safety. After two disappointing seasons which saw the club finish in the bottom half of the table, Derby finished the two subsequent seasons in 12th and 10th place. Clough was sacked 9 games into the 2013–14 season, and was replaced by former Derby player and assistant manager Steve McClaren.

Under McClaren, the club finished third in the Championship and reached the final of the play-offs, in which they lost to Queens Park Rangers.

Last season, Derby could only manage an 8th place finish after a terrible slump post Christmas and McClaren was dismissed at the end of May to be replaced by Paul Clement.



Paul Clement lasted until February 2016, when he was relieved of his duties, and Darren Wassall was named as Head Coach until the end of the 2015/16 season.



One To Watch – George Thorne



The fact that Darren Bent and Andreas Weimann have been regularly named amongst the Rams’ substitutes gives a fair indication of just what a difficult job it is to single out one player from Derby’s squad, which contains numerous former Premier League stars as well as some established Championship names. For my final ‘One to watch’ of the season, I am going to go for a young midfielder who seems to have the world at his feet, George Thorne.

Thorne’s potential was clear from a young age as, after progressing through West Brom’s academy, he made his First Team debut as a 16-year-old. He was unfortunate that his rise to prominence coincided with a successful period for the Baggies, as their return to the top tier limited his opportunities of regular football. Having made a single Premier League appearance, the midfielder spent time out on loan, first at Portsmouth and then at Peterborough, at the time both in the Championship. Just as Thorne’s career appeared to be gathering some momentum, misfortune struck, with an anterior cruciate ligament injury ruling him out for the rest of the 2012/13 season after he had broken into the West Midlanders’ First Team. Bad luck with injuries has become something of a theme for the 23-year-old, who sustained a similar ACL problem ahead of 2014/15, soon after earning a permanent deal with the Rams on the back of an impressive loan switch. Derby were given a massive boost when Thorne returned to full fitness earlier this season, with his 33 league appearances the first time he has featured more than 14 times in a campaign for any one club. Although he tends to operate in a holding midfield role, the former England U19 international’s attacking threat cannot be ignored. He is very comfortable in possession and has the ability to quickly turn defence into attack with his driving runs and eye for a pass. He is also not averse to the odd ‘worldy’, none more so than this one against Brighton in the play-offs a couple of years ago:





The Gaffer – Darren Wassall





Wassall, a former defender, made 177 appearances in the Football League.

Wassall began his career in 1984 at Nottingham Forest, where he was a product of the youth system. He failed to win a regular First Team place, and was loaned out to Hereford United and Bury. Despite his limited opportunities, Wassall featured in two finals for Forest, winning a medal in the 1992 Full Members Cup and playing in the 1992 Football League Cup Final.

He left Forest for Derby County in 1992 in a £600,000 deal, amid rumours of a dressing room incident with manager Brian Clough which left Wassall feeling unable to remain at Forest.

While at Derby, he had loan spells at Manchester City and Birmingham City.

Wassall joined Birmingham full-time in 1997 in a £150,000 deal, although his impact was limited as he struggled with injuries. He retired in 2000 after suffering an Achilles injury.

However, Wassall was able to continue playing by dropping out of the Football League and playing for Burton Albion. He retired altogether in 2005 to take charge of the club's youth team.

In 2009, Wassall became academy manager at Derby County under Nigel Clough's regime.

In September 2013, Clough was sacked by Derby County, and his backroom staff sent on gardening leave. However, Wassall remained at the club, continuing his work with the youth academy under the tenure of new head coach Steve McClaren. Clough had stated in March 2013: "The academy should almost be ringfenced and, whoever comes in next, I hope they have the sense to leave it alone and let it continue working."
After McClaren's successor Paul Clement was sacked in February 2016, Wassall was appointed head coach until the end of the season.






Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev

December's return fixture seems a distant memory now, such have been the two teams' contrasting fortunes since the Rams' fortuitous 1-0 win.





Trev's Trivia

Players & Managers who have featured with both Clubs



Nathan Ellington Ipswich 2011-2013 & Derby 2008-2009 loan

Conor Sammon Ipswich 2014-2015 & loan from Derby 2012-present

Paul Jewell Ipswich Manager 2011-2012 & Derby Manager 2007-2008

George Burley Ipswich Manager 1994-2002 & Derby Manager 2003-2005

Media Watch - K L Blue

Which is the biggest shock in football?
http://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town ... _1_4521167

Ben Pringle linked to Rangers:
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/29585/

Southend Midfielder linked:
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/29584/

Bart gets players' vote (there's a surprise):
http://www.itfc.co.uk/news/article/bart ... 94029.aspx



Stat Time


Head to Head


Derby Wins....................26.....(33.33%)
Ipswich Wins..................32.....(41.03%)
Draws..........................20.....(25.64%)

Derby Goals..................101 (ave. 1.29 per match)
Ipswich Goals................113 (ave. 1.45 per match)


Head to Head at Derby

Derby Wins....................14.....(36.84%)
Ipswich Wins..................11.....(28.95%)
Draws..........................13.....(34.21%)

Derby Goals....................57 (ave. 1.50 per match)
Ipswich Goals..................51 (ave. 1.34 per match)







The Predicted Teams



Derby County

While most teams will be rotating their squad at this stage of the season, if Darren Wassall makes changes for Saturday it will be with the intention of keeping his players fresh for the play-offs. Jeff Hendrick and our friend Bradley Johnson are edging closer to fitness, with Will Hughes an able deputy in the middle of the park having recently returned from a cruciate injury. Whichever team Wassall puts out will have quality running through it, as the Rams prepare for their double header against Hull.

17 Scott Carson
2 Cyrus Christie
6 Richard Keogh
14 Jason Shackell
29 Marcus Olsson
34 George Thorne
4 Craig Bryson
19 Will Hughes
23 Tom Ince
9 Chris Martin
11 Johnnie Russell



Ipswich Town

Along with the two full-backs and Teddy Bishop, Dean Gerken was the other player to get some long-overdue game time last weekend. He may well remain between the sticks, with Adam McDonnell hoping to be the latest youngster to be given his chance to shine.

1 Dean Gerken
4 Luke Chambers
5 Tommy Smith
6 Christophe Berra
3 Jonas Knudsen
8 Cole Skuse
19 Luke Hyam
12 Liam Feeney
27 Teddy Bishop
20 Freddie Sears
10 David McGoldrick



Marko’s Caption Contest

Scores after MK Dons week
Blueblood 5pts
Kerry Blue 4pts
Barmy Billy 3pts
Herforder/Watership Down 2pts.


LEAGUE TABLE

Ando 83
DerickIpsw 82
Frosty 74
Blueblood 73
Nicscreamer 67
Barmy Billy 67
James Scharmann 53
Number 9 49
Herforder 44
Quasar 36
IpswichtownNO1 30
Ashfordblue 25
Shed on Tour 25
Watership Down 24
Kerry Blue 21
Bluemike 20
Floors 16
Hallamblue 13
Tangfastic 11
Charnwood 10
Longjohn 9
Foxy Lady 8
Loudnproud 6
Ohiotractorboy 3
Karlywoo 1

This is the last week of the competition. Adding two pictures, points awarded for both pictures, please have as many goes as you like to try and get those bigger scores secured. The final table will be posted middle of next week with the winner announced. The trophy will be engraved over the summer and a picture posted before the new season...... (Or more accurately, I'll ask Jamma123 to post the picture as I may struggle with that!) Mathematically it looks like it's between Ando and DerickIpsw, but others contributing could affect the outcome between those two dramatically. So please, have a go.
Also take this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken part this year, it really has been a good laugh, there have been a few absolute beauties amongst the entries.

Caption picture 1:




Caption picture 2:





Match Referee – Tim Robinson





Final Thought - Frosty


And so another season of Championship football comes to a close.

Most of us would have been hoping to emulate last season and have a possible 3 matches still to play at this point, but it’s not to be.

The main positive is we are now a confirmed top half side, and perhaps with an ounce of luck and fewer injuries we are a real challenger, which is a big step up from a few years ago.

The thing that is important to me this week with my final words for the season is to say a huge thank you to James, Marko, Colin and Trev, without whose input week after week we wouldn’t have these previews. I know from experience it’s bloody hard to keep the effort up when you are faced with 5 fixtures in a 14-day period or we are on a poor run of form. So once again, thank you guys.

To everyone on here who keeps supporting this forum, thank you as well.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone (except the ones like me who reside in the Southern Hemisphere) a safe and enjoyable summer.

See you again in August.

COYB!

P.S. ….. Did I mention this weeks fixture is completely irrelevant for both sides??



DERBY COUNTY 1 IPSWICH TOWN 2

Caption comp for both pictures:
TC "yes, it was this thumb that put that look on his face!"

P.s,
To begin with i thought the Ram girl of the week was a cutting from the local Derby paper, however the small print of " picks up a ball and says lets start again" i thought maybe an old playboy article??

P.s,
To begin with i thought the Ram girl of the week was a cutting from the local Derby paper, however the small print of " picks up a ball and says lets start again" i thought maybe an old playboy article??

Great job, guys and even better job over the entire season. For me, when I have more time, I read these previews right through, but I never miss the opening/final thoughts......, it sets the game up nicely for me so hoping that can continue for many seasons to come. Cheers.
And loving the "alternative awards" section. Good stuff.

1/ Unfortunately Derby County will be sending out a message to fellow play off contenders in this and will overwhelmingly hump Ipswich Town with wee Johnny (awesome) Russell bagging a hatrick.

2/ Fortunately Derby County will be resting vital players for the upcoming play off fixtures and there will be no Johnny (awesome) Russell on the park, and Ipswich Town could earn a commendable draw, or a surprising win.

(One of those two ^^^)

Darren Wassell: "WHO THE FUUUUUUUUUK BOOKED MY PLAYERRRRRR????"
Ref: "Err, sorry mate, err, (fart sound) err, that was, err......, me, mate!"

The opposition caption:
HEADLINE:
DERBY FAN FAR LEFT, MIDDLE, INVENTS NEW THREE FINGER HAND GESTURE!

Ref caption:
(Survey)
Ok, using the hands up method, who here thinks they are way out of their depth?

I can see us nicking an unlikely win ! 2-1 to the Blues

Caption 1 - Oh my god, that is some seriously strong skunk! Keep looking straight ahead an no one will notice how stoned I am!!!

Caption 2 - Thumbs up for Len Fairclough! ( That's a caption for the really really old amongst us)!

I think we will finish the season with a 1-1 draw

Caption 1

I'm thinking are my eyebrows as bushy as Mick's?

Caption2

At my age I should stop sucking my thumb

Another loss I fear. Derby 3 ITFC 0

Caption 1: 'Despite disguise, Martyn Keown is still f**king ugly!'

Caption 2: 'Marcus Evans? He went that way.

And now the end is near........

The final game of the season sees us going to my favourite away ground, never seen us lose here yet and hopefully the trend will continue on Saturday. There is little riding on the outcome but how nice it would be to go out with a win. I am pleased to read we will be giving a start to Adam McDonnell & Myles Kenlock again, it all augers well for next season. Quite what the rest of the line up will be is anybodies guess.

Hopefully the Town fans will make it a party atmosphere to bring the curtain down on what has been a very successful season on the road, a Ninth win would be awesome, either way we will make plenty of noise. No idea what the score will be but I will edge towards a 1-1 draw although I would not be at all surprised to see us nick it 2-1.

I would just like to say a very big thank you to all the guys who contribute towards writing the excellent previews week after week, having done this myself for a few seasons I know only too well how time consuming they can be and what hard work it is when things are not going our way etc. You are all a credit to the forum and the way you set up every game for us fans is excellent, very well done.

Still looking for us to upset one of the top runners Derby County 1 Ipswich Town 2

Caption 1 "Leicester won the Premiership????"

Caption 2 "Yes mate it's true, believe it or not"

I'd like to concur what has been said about the pregame reports and the post game summary, excellent work. Thank you

Caption Comp 1: Tell me what's your secret for no more wrinkles ? what do you use.?
Caption Comp 2: It,s all in the wrist action mate .

Reckon the game will end 1-1. It's a season of what might have been imo. The loss of Fraser and mcgoldrick knocked us and had they been available then I am sure we would have been top 6. Playing Sears wide has just wasted his talent. For me he should have played down the middle and not stuck wide. He would have scored more and that would have boosted our points tally.

Caption 1 & 2;

Who put that f..king spider on my head!

Me... Replies TC

Caption 1;

I am so constipated.....I haven't give a sh.t for weeks


Caption 2; " Toure, Coke and Tabb have all had free rides so why can't I"

Caption 1.

"I don't think I can hold my breath for much longer"

Caption 2.

"Evans, if you supplied me a company car I wouldn't have to keep bumming a lift to the ground"

Great preview as usual,thanks for all the time and effort put into them to all concerned. Would love a win, good to see some of the youth given a chance to learn their craft at a relativly pointless match for us.

Derby 1-2 Town

From the score predictions posted so far it seems that most think that Derby, already in the play-offs, will try to save themselves for the play-off games.
Can't see this happening myself - they will want momentum going into play-offs.

Derby 3 - Ipswich 0

So, the season comes to an end. Sadly, all those hopes and feelings of optimism felt by most folk last August gradually drained away, leaving us a tad deflated and disappointed. What has been consistent, however, is excellence of the post-match previews, which are much appreciated by all the masochists - sorry, regulars! - who visit this forum. Echo everyone's thanks to the whole team for their outstanding efforts.

Hopefully we can show the same sort of attacking intent from last week, without conceding annoyingly soft goals. Derby, whoever they decide to play, will prove another tough challenge, but I think we can grab a 1-1 draw. But let's have a positive performance to set us up for next term.

Caption 1:

Yea, come to think of it, I can definitely see the George Clooney likeness. The mirror never lies.

Caption 2:

You're going to get sooo sucked later!

2-0 to Derby I'm afraid

CAPTION COMPEITION

Pic 1 - Keogh's reaction after being told he has a spider on side his head.

Pic 2 - TC's reaction after being told he no longer has McCarthy by his side.

Caption 1: Richard Keogh is shocked when asked. "is that your hair or did you borrow it from Bruce Forsyth"?

Caption 2: TC tries to balance a bald head on the end of his thumb.

Caption 1: Keogh is scared after being told he has a Tarantula on the side of his head.

Caption 2: TC tries to get a lift to Portman Road after his car breaks down.

1-0 MCGOLDRICK PENALTY

There goes my prediction

FT: 0-1 nice to end season with win

Very good result. Shame it does not make any difference. But we do finish 7th.

Great finish but all in vain.

If only our dreadful home form could have been avoided, what might have been, blah blah blah etc..etc.

Roll on next season..

Great result - under no pressure, and players feeling confident enough to express themselves a bit more. By all accounts Kenlock had an excellent game against a couple of Derby's best; whilst McDonnell also made a solid debut. All bodes well for next term.

Now Down to ME/MM to do the right sort of business in the summer. (MM's mentioned his impending holiday a couple of times recently - am sure he was wearing swimming trunks under his trackie, with beach towel and sunscreen in the dugout, ready for a quick getaway!)

A score I could never have envisaged, but as with many others, it's all too goddamn late to achieve anything. That's a draw at Middlesbrough, a win in the game before this, and lo and behold a victory at one of the other promotion candidates, but of no f**king use when the other 95 per cent of the season has been not above garbage and we've all been let down.

Don't take it the wrong way, this win today is a very good score despite the opposition themselves having little to play for, but getting it together and providing favorable results when the season and league placing has become immaterial, is tough to follow. There's going to be certain encouragements to take from the last few games but it won't change thinking on relevant actions that need to be undertaken this close season and the changes required.

Seventh position when all said and done and with a positive goal difference. Missed out on the top six by a close call in the end and if not for a multitude of sh*t performances and uninspiring efforts over the course of the last nine months we could very well have been involved again as of twelve months back. Still what's done is done and there isn't a damn thing anyone can do about it - but as before, certain encouragements to take, if only on a small scale.

A very pleasing end to the season and in some ways a deserved Three points. Despite having nothing at stake there was definitley some positives to come out of today, the performances of Teddy Bishop & Didsy showed us all exactly what we have been missing and what might have been had they been available throughout the season, the run by Bish to win the penalty was top drawer,he so very nearly scored after Carson had made a hash up but a defender cleared ffrom a yard or two in front of the line, aside from that he showed some quality touches throughout, his tackling was solid and his distribution crisp and accurate. Didsy also had a very good game, this is the fittest I think I have seen him for years and again he showed the type of quality that we have been lacking, never been his biggest fan but if we could only have him at something like his best all season we would be laughing. Aside from the penalty he had a couple of other half chances which were dealt with comfortably. Bart again showed us why he is player of the season with another decent display, Two or Three good saves keeping the clean sheet intact, the one in the first minute was pivotal as had that gone in it could have been a very different game.

Once again I thought Kenlock looked solid and assured, one minor error was all I can recall from the lad and he looks to have a chance of making the first team squad next season. Adam McDonnell looked steady if unspectacular but wasn't afraid to put himself about and get his foot into the tackles, he can be pleased with his debut. I also though Feeney had a very good game and today showed why we should try to sign him, I see elsewhere that talks are ongoing and on today's performance he would be a good signing, all we need is consistency. Poor Freddie really does need this break as he is running on empty and pretty much nothing is going his way over the last few games, the break will do him the world of good.

Nine away wins a very good total for the season and an improvement on last season, if only we could have got our act together in front of our own moaners, err sorry fans and it could have been oh so different, as it is we have fallen short and many will deem it a failure. One of the biggest plus points today was that there was no hoofball in sight from start to finish because we finally have some ball players back in the team who can play with ball at their feet. 7th in not a disaster by any means even though it is so so frustrating, every one of those teams above us should be above us given their ridculous resources, we are without doubt the best of the rest and there are a fair few clubs below us that have spent Millions and all for nothing.

Already I see hope for 2016/17 but we MUST get that 3/4 new and quality players in, add to that a full season of Bishop & Didsy plus the emergence of the likes of Dozzell, Kenlock, Emmanuel, Digby, McDonnell and Benyu and we have the makings of a decent and attractive looking squad. The Summer business is now the critical thing, get that right and we could be a force.

Finally what a fantastic atmosphere the 1000+ Town fans made today, from start to finish we sang our hearts out and got behind the boys, I don't recall a quiet period at all, despite having nowt to play for we did the boys and the club proud, I salute you all.

Many thanks for that Mike. Glad we put on a proper footballing show , even if it was our last game of the season.

Our injuries to our creative players has greatly affected how this squad has been able to perform, yet still we finish 7th. As long as Mick is prepared to give the kids a chance next season, and Evans gives Mick some money to buy in some quality additions, we could be a threat for promotion next season.

What happens next season , very much depends on the decisions Mick and Evans make over the coming weeks. Are they brave enough I wonder?

Cheers Mike, I maybe 1355 miles away from Derby here in Spain but reading your report makes me feel much closer.

When I read Mick McCarthy saying he wanted to end the season on a high I just couldn't see it happening hence my prediction 1-0 to Derby.

Good to hear that Didsy played well again maybe we could do better if he started next season as he's finished this one.

Given ME's comments last week, there should be funds available for MM to strengthen. Not to do so would be viewed as a betrayal by supporters; so the question then becomes how brave, and how wise!

I think a couple more departures are still likely - Berra and, possibly, Smith. But time will tell!

Same again....nooooo! Unintentional insertion.

Nice report. Always good to read positives at the end of the season. Ok, made play offs last season, but I think everyone was feeling a tad sh*t after those two "derbies"......, better to finish with this "Derby" and the win.

Hoping there ain't too many pointless pre-season friendlies......, really would be good to see what the proper fully fit "Didsy" can do next season.

And yes, well done to all travelling fans. Nothing to play for yet 1000 made the journey. That's what it's aw aboot!!
Last night, 250 Dundee Utd fans made the 278 miles round trip to Inverness, (assuming they all left from Dundee) and they were officially relegated last week. It's good to see,......, and they won which was also good.