Growing up in Suffolk in the 1950s, it was only natural that I should support Ipswich Town - like all of my friends. Whenever possible, I went to Portman Road with my father and uncles. Children could always worm their way to the front of the terraces; you felt you could almost reach out and touch the players. For some of those years, my Dad had a milk round six days a week, delivering around the Creetings, Stonhams and surrounding villages. On match days, I helped Dad deliver the milk so that he could finish in time to take me to the match.
During my growing-up years, I was very fortunate to see the Town rise from Third Division (South) to First Division champions. That first season in the First Division started badly, as many people were predicting; a nil-nil draw followed by two defeats. Then we had a midweek game against Burnley at Portman Road, on 29th August 1961. I remember it was a very warm evening, and I was lucky enough to be there. At that time Burnley and Spurs were the two outstanding teams in the country. We watched in amazement as Town put six goals past the great Burnley team (and conceded two). One of the scorers that night was, of course, Ted Phillips.
Ted Phillips was like no other player I ever saw at Portman Road. It was easy to spot Ted on the pitch, because his shirt would be hanging out at the back and he had a strange, almost bald patch on the back of his head rather as if he had ripped off a plaster too quickly. For much of the game Ted seemed to be slouching around, with all the grace of a Sunday League centre-forward. But then he would release one of his amazingly powerful left-foot shots, which invariably drove the crowd wild. With that left foot he scored so many memorable goals, often from a great distance and generally leaving the goalkeeper watching in wonder. There have been stories of the keeper being propelled into the net with the ball, but perhaps they were just part of the Ted Phillips legend.
Ah happy days, when football, and life, seemed so much simpler and innocent than today. I remember the fuss when Ray Crawford demanded to be paid £35 a week "to support his wife and children". At that time, my dad was earning 7 pounds 10 shillings a week, so Ray's demand, as the Town’s star player and an England international, seemed reasonable to me. I wonder what Ted Phillips would be earning if he was playing today.
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