Landlors v tenants and a cup for the winners!

 Tuesday 6 October 2020, Ipswich Wanderers 1 Coplestonians 0 - Suffolk Senior Cup Final (19/20) - Humber Doucy Lane

Not the greatest game and not one that will be remembered for the football on display, however a great event for both clubs, I am sure they would have preferred to play at Portman Road, but as that could not happen, to play the game at their own home, was a good alternative.

Well organised, a sell out and a close game.

Good to Humber Doucy Lane has lost none of it's charm - the blue and white paint, the corrugated iron fencing and the odd/quant signs. I always try and get to my closest Step 6 ground a couple of times a season, and always made to feel welcome - well done to the Suffolk FA and both clubs.

History lesson

Saturday 11 November 2017, Westerfield United 2 Felixstowe Harpers United 2 ( 1-3 on penalties) - Suffolk Senior Cup 3rd Round,  Ipswich School Sports Centre

 Ipswich Town had no game today but a non-league match just outside the town provided numerous historical links to ITFC.

Westerfeild play their home games at Ipswich School Sports centre, and it was old boys from the school who formed Ipswich Town at the end of the 19th Century. Today was a Suffolk Senior Cup game, a cup won numerous times by Ipswich Town. The first time they reached the final they played Ipswich School.

The school is still in the centre of town, but they recently purchased the Rushmere Sports Club, football is played on the northern side of the complex. But unlike it in the 19th Century football is no longer the main sports played at the school, after the First World War, like many Private schools, football was dropped and they turned to Rugby Union but it is obvious that when you visit the sports centre, it is now hockey that is king - and with 2 of the 2016 Olympic Men's Hockey team starting their hockey career at the school they must be doing something right.

Not to say football is totally forgotten, the manager of the sports centre is Roger Osborne, the man who scored the winning goal for Ipswich in the 78 FA Cup final.

The pitches may be on the edge of the complex but they are in great condition, plus quality wooden dugouts and tea and coffee from a portakabin make this a pleasant place to catch a game of football and the match today was certainly one worth watching.

Felixstowe Harpers dominated the first hour and found themselves two up, however a goalkeeping blunder let the home side back into the game and Westerfield kept the momentum up and got a deserved equaliser right at the end of the game.

So the game would be settled by a penalty shoot out, and after his earlier error the Harpers goalkeeper suddenly went from zero to hero, as he saved the first three Westerfield penalty kicks. So it is the Suffolk Coastal team that find themselves in the last 8 of the cup.

If they make it thorough the next two rounds they will find themselves at Portman Road, the modern home of Ipswich Town, another link between today and ITFC.

Easy start on the path to Portman Road

Saturday 14 October 2017, Haughley United 0 Whitton United 9, Suffolk Senior Cup, 2nd Round, King George Playing Field, Green Rd.

Of all the local non-league cups, it is the Suffolk Senior Cup that is my favourite. The players seem to care about winning this and they all want the chance to play on the Portman Road turf.

The senior teams in the cup are from the Thurlow Nunn, Eastern Counties, Division One, however they have not won it for a couple of seasons and already this year, Suffolk & Ipswich side, Achilles have sent Framlingham packing.

I was interested to see how Eastern Counties side, Whitton United would do against their junior opponents. They certainly were coming into the game in form after winning their last league game, 8-0.

I was impressed with the welcome at Haughley, a full bar, cheap beer and then a mug of tea and a hot sausage roll at half time but they may have made their opponents too welcome on the pitch as Whitton went one better than last week and won this game 9-0.

Will the North West Ipswich lads make it to Portman Road? They have a great chance but they will have far harder tests ahead of them in the later cup rounds.

On their way to Portman Road?

Saturday 11 March 2017, Capel Plough 2 Leiston St Margaret's 0 - Suffolk Senior Cup, quarter final, Friars Playing Field

Cup match and great cake, what is there not to like about watching local non-league football. My third Senior Cup match of the season and all have been close and this one was also competitive but Capel never looked in any trouble after going in front.

A good set up at Capel, great little club house - mugs of tea, tasty cake and a bar! The pitch was over 100 metres away but was in good shape, plenty of grass and fully roped off. Surprised the crowd only hovered at about 30 as it is the quarter, Woodbridge got over 200 in the all  Eastern Counties League tie.

Match slightly spoilt at the end with two needless sending offs, not that you can blame the ref as neither player helped themselves. it looked like the trouble would spill over to include the two benches but the incident was soon forgotten and great to see a few minutes later at the end of the match, handshakes all round and the Leiston team wishing Capel good luck in the next round.

So will i be seeing Capel again in the final at Portman Road next month?

Village glory

Saturday 19 November 2016, Bramford United 3 Coplestonians 2 - Suffolk Senior Cup, 3rd Round, Acton Rd Playing field

Closest village to Ipswich, and a nice place to catch some football - a full bar (plus hot drinks available) in the club house plus a fully railed pitch and dug outs.

Now into the last 8, will get Bramford one of the Thurlow Nunn sides in the quarter final? I certainly will be hoping they now make it all the way to Portman Road for the final.

No cup glory for the Castlemen

Friday 18 November 2016, Framlingham Town 0 Woodbridge Town  2 - Suffolk Senior Cup, 3rd Round,  Badingham Road

A very cold night but a big crowd out for the East Suffolk derby. Two young teams but Woodbridge just had slightly more experience and that showed as after taking a 2-0 lead they were able to take it easy in the second half without really ever feeling that they were going to lose.

New pavilion but no cup glory for Ransomes

Saturday 15 October 2016, Ransomes Sports 1 Waveney 3 - Suffolk Senior Cup, 2nd Round - Sidegate Avenue (Ipswich)

Just a 15 minute walk today to my nearest football ground, but one that I have seen cricket played on more than football.

This season Ransomes are now using the new million pound pavilion and changing rooms, built by the local Labour council – a facility shared with local cricket club.

The council had to regain control of the sports ground after the local clubs hit financial difficulties, facilities were poor and Suffolk Cricket had left with the pitch not up to standard, this left a football club, a local cricket club and a wooden pavilion and social club that was close to falling down.

Now Ransomes have a facility to be proud of – changing rooms better than most league clubs. There is small community room and tea, coffee and soft drinks were on sale before and during the game. The fence has rail and posts on half of it and a rope on the cricket pitch side, impressive dug outs and a small piece of cover coming off the groundsmans hut, the game cannot be watched from the new pavilion as that faces onto the cricket pitch.

Waveney from the Anglian Combination are the cup holders and took an early lead but Ransomes hit back and had the better of the rest of the first half missing a great chance to go in front on the 44^th minute.

The second half had only just started when Waveney scored from the spot and a third goal soon followed, Ransomes then had most of the possession but other than one great save and a free kick hitting the bar they never really challenged the Waveney keeper and so the North Suffolk side marched onto the third round.

No bottle!

Wednesday 8 May 2013, Suffolk Senior Cup Final, Whitton United 1 Ipswich Wanderers 1 (Wanderers win 3-2 on penalty's) Portman Road


I like a bit of non league football but sometimes get annoyed when many journalists use the non league as some great example to the professional game. Pretending that all in the non league game is great.

Now this final had some pluses, a good crowd, local rivals and plenty of goalmouth action but also highlighted that not all is rosy in the non league garden.

Arguments between fans and stewards (not helped by a number of jobsworth stewards) arguments and threats from committee members from one of the competing clubs and then quality forwards not having the bottle to take a penalty in the shoot out and leaving the task to two 16 year olds!

Then we had a terrible refereeing display - hardly spotted a foul but then ended up sending off a Whitton player in extra time - but I am still glad I went and will be at the Premier Cup Final next week.

Up for the Cup

Saturday 12 January 2013, Whitton United 4 Ipswich Valley Rangers 3, Suffolk Senior Cup Quarter Final, King George Vth Playing Fields

End of a week of cup football for me, starting with Ipswich losing in the FA Cup, the Ipswich Reserves losing in the Suffolk Premier Cup at Felixstowe then yesterday it was closer to home and the Suffolk Senior Cup.

I had an extra interest in this game as my nephew was playing in goal for Valley Rangers - the underdogs in this cup game.

He started with a great save, then gave away a penalty and was lucky not get a red, then was part of a team that gave their higher league opponents a real hard competitive game.

The ground has changed a bit since my last visits, a new stand behind the goal and a tea hut. Bur most fans still want to stand in the 'Shed'.

A good crowd was at the game, for what must be the ground that most people in Ipswich have seen whilst stuck in a traffic jam on the way into town, pity more do not explore further and visit one of the oldest clubs in the town, saying that there was a good size crowd at this cup game.