My Deep Dive into the Ipswich vs Brentford Rivalry
So I got this idea today to map out the whole timeline between Ipswich Town and Brentford FC, right? I’ve always known these teams had some wild matches, but I wanted to see the actual historic goals and wins laid out proper. Grabbed my laptop and coffee, thinking this would be quick.
Started with simple Google searches like “Ipswich Brentford head-to-head” – total chaos. Every site showed different stats! Wikipedia had one set of numbers, some fan forums had totally different years listed. Ended up yelling at my screen: “How hard is it to agree on who scored in 2007?”
Dug up my old Championship history books from the shelf – found this battered 2005 season review with coffee stains. Opened it and dust flew everywhere. Found a goldmine there: turns out the April ’03 match was pure madness! Brentford smashed Ipswich 4-0 at Portman Road. Book had actual player quotes about the weather messing with the pitch.
Then came the real headache: tracking down 90s matches. Football websites barely had lineups for those. Remembered my neighbor Terry’s a Brentford diehard since ’92. Called him up – dude started ranting immediately: “That 1997 playoff? Pure robbery! Ipswich’s second goal was handball!” Wrote down every detail while he vented.
Cross-referenced everything:
- Checked three different club history sites
- Dusted off my Football Manager 2010 database install (still works!)
- Spent an hour on Twitter finding fan-recorded stats threads
Biggest shocker? The 2009 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy match. Both sides played reserve keepers because neither cared about the tournament! Finished 1-1 with goals from benchwarmers. Literally found the scorer’s LinkedIn to confirm he played that night.
After burning three hours:
- Biggest win: Brentford 5-0 Ipswich (2007 League One)
- Highest scoring: 4-3 to Ipswich (2014 Championship playoffs)
- Most violent clash: 2011 – three red cards total
Tried making a fancy spreadsheet but gave up halfway. Just scribbled the timeline in my ratty notebook with coffee rings on it. Realized these teams basically took turns humiliating each other every decade. Modern Championship doesn’t have this level of petty drama anymore!
Finished feeling exhausted but weirdly satisfied. Might frame my horrible handwritten notes. Next time? Probably need better research methods. Or just bribe Terry with beer again.