Ipswich Town column: East Anglian derby victory over Norwich City sweeter than ever imagined

Finally, the greatest 16 years in the history of Norwich City has come to an end and I could not be happier.

If you compare the size, history and stature of these two clubs, there will never be a comparison.

We all know Ipswich Town reside in a bigger stadium, as a bigger club and are 3-0 up in terms of major trophies won, which means these last 16 years have been the greatest achievement those up in Norfolk will ever endure.

Thankfully, that’s over now and I’m so happy that Kieran McKenna was the man to do it as he added a derby day victory to an already impressive Ipswich CV.

As for the game itself, the first half was a scrap. They caused us issues with their pressing, but once Jaden Philogene had scored arguably the greatest goal ever seen in this fixture, there was only going to be one winner.

I thought we were magnificent second half and spent most of it toying with our opponents, especially after the third goal.

A lot was also made of Marcelino Nunez‘s involvement and it was amusing to see that the Norwich midfield weren’t able to lay a single glove on him.

Truthfully, the only disappointment was that we didn’t score more. We were far superior in the end. That could’ve been a 5-1 game – it should’ve been.

We’ll take it though and what a magical day at Portman Road. It’s hard to remember what this feeling is like after 16 years but truthfully it’s sweeter than I could’ve ever imagined.

I’ve always been proud to be Ipswich. Through the good times and the bad, the love for this famous football club never stops.

There’ll be bigger tests to come, but this feels like a massive moment in the season. The curse has been broken and the confidence and belief from this victory can only spur us on now.