Ipswich finally see some light

The Tannoy played “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” during a 40-minute break for a floodlight failure last night and Portman Road remained in good humour as Ipswich Town held an in-form Southampton team to end a run of two successive home defeats.

Only three of the four floodlights were restored to power initially and Phil Joslin, the referee, was ten minutes from abandoning the game when the fourth flickered into a half-light that left a shadow at one end for the rest of the match. Brett Ormerod and Danny Higginbotham missed excellent chances for Southampton soon after the restart but Richard Naylor headed the home team in front eight minutes before the break from a corner by Darren Currie.

Southampton pulled level in an identical manner shortly after the interval, Dennis Wise’s corner being nodded in by Darren Powell, but Ipswich regained the lead on the hour when Owen Garvan drove home through a sea of bodies from the edge of the area. But the away side responded again, Nigel Quashie striking the far post with a low drive and Wise heading the equaliser after Matt Oakley had cleverly delivered a first time cross on the volley.

Southampton continued to pile forward, but Ipswich, like the light, held out until the end.

Bill Edgar (The Times)