Hostilities resume in the East Anglian derby this weekend, four years and 10 months since Ipswich Town and Norwich City last met. A fixture that may not attract the global audience of other English derbies and one whose nicknames – the Old Farm, El Tractico – carry just the slightest hint of mockery will still be guaranteed to deliver a right old tussle at Portman Road on Saturday lunchtime.
The match has a lot riding on it, and for a number of reasons. The time gap matters, absence not only making the heart grow fonder but spicier too. There’s also some hoodoo in the air: Ipswich have not won the derby in their past 12 attempts. The last time Norwich lost, in 2009, Bryan Gunn was their manager. Now his son, Angus, is the Canaries keeper and during the intervening years a lot has changed. Norwich were on their way to League One in 2009 but returned promptly, won back-to-back promotions to the Premier League, and have spent six of the 14 seasons since in the top flight. Ipswich, meanwhile, have only just clambered out of the third tier, the highlight of 20 years in the doldrums.
