IPSWICH TOWN HAVE been condemned to third-tier football for the first time in 62 years after they played out a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City today in the Championship.
The result confirmed their relegation as Paul Lambert’s side are now 13 points adrift of fourth-from-bottom Wigan Athletic with just four games remaining in the campaign.
A year ago this week, current Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy took charge of Ipswich for the final time, guiding the Tractor Boys to a 1-0 win over Barnsley.
McCarthy left his post early after it had previously been announced that he and the club would go their separate ways at the end of the season.
“It just felt right that it was time for us both to look at different options,” the club’s owner Marcus Evans said at the time. A year later, Ipswich are preparing to play in the third tier of English football for the first time since 1957.
They’re likely to be joined in League One by crisis-ridden Bolton Wanderers, who are nine points off safety following a 4-0 defeat to Derby County. On-loan Chelsea man Mason Mount scored a hat-trick for Derby, who are now just two points outside the play-offs.
A place in the play-offs is already guaranteed for Sheffield United, but their prospects of automatic promotion were hampered when they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Millwall, a game in which Ireland defender John Egan was sent off for a deliberate handball.
West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa consolidated their places in terms of the play-offs. West Brom were 4-1 winners at home to Preston North End, while Ireland midfielder Conor Hourihane scored the second goal for Villa in their 2-1 home win against Bristol City.
Elsewhere, Middlesbrough kept their promotion hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Hull City. Nottingham Forest fell out of realistic contention, Martin O’Neill’s side suffering a 2-1 home defeat to Blackburn Rovers.
English Championship results (3pm kick-offs)
- Aston Villa 2-1 Bristol City
- Derby County 4-0 Bolton Wanderers
- Ipswich Town 1-1 Birmingham City
- Middlesbrough 1-0 Hull City
- Nottingham Forest 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
- Queens Park Rangers 4-0 Swansea City
- Reading 2-1 Brentford
- Sheffield United 1-1 Millwall
- Stoke City 2-2 Rotherham United
- West Bromwich Albion 4-1 Preston North End
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Club does ok with Mick in charge, club sacks Mick believing they can do better, club promptly nosedives after Mick leaves
Sunderland, Wolves now Ipswich.
Clubs tend to go backwards after Mick leaves…
@The Combat Arena: let’s hope the same doesn’t happen with Ireland!
@Nicholas Ryan: it already did!!
@Jack Adrian: haha true . Hopefully some good times are back
Karma!! Mick had them performing above their level, fans got too demanding and team was found out.
The fans got what they wanted, they wanted big Mick out. I’m sure Mick is sad today, but also feels a certain bit of satisfaction after how the fans treated him in the last few months of his tenure. The “Tractor Boys” will be poughing those low lying fields for a while, not much chance of them harvesting a bountiful crop for a few years yet.
@Stephen Duggan: I’m sure Mick feels about as sad as Roy Keane does. Once the Irish connection was cut, I’d no further reason to like Ipswich; they way they hubristically dumped Mick means I’m delighted they went down
@Brendan Moriarty: You’re saying you only supported Ipswich because they had an Irish connection? That’s odd.
Delighted good lucky!, proves how good mick is here and with wolves
Delighted for them..
A lot of people said at the time Mick was forced out that Ipswich would be sealing their fate for this season by sacking him. Not one bit surprised. It’s karma for their fans.
Marcus Evans gave him no money to spend for 5 seasons running, he kept them comfortably mid table and even flirted with the playoffs in first two seasons.
Careful what you wish for.
Their arse is in’ bacon slicer
The comments on here about the fans hounding Mick out obviously have no idea how bitter things had got at Town under Mick! He simply had to go albeit he did a great job in the first 2 season with us.
Our fate was sealed preseason when we sold all our goal scorers, appointed a manager and bought players with no experience at this level.
Since Lambert has come in the fans are back, playing more attractive football. ME has a lot to answer for but he just doesn’t have the funds to pump 20m a year to keep us competitive.
Here’s hoping our academy players help us bounce back next season!
@Trevor Wallace: is ME a billionaire? Genuine question from a lifelong Ipswich supporter. Hope we can bounce back in time.