So I found out recently that my mate Pete’s a proper Brentford fan who kept arguing with some Ipswich supporters at the pub about who dominated their past matches. Figured I’d settle it for him by digging up the whole history myself. Real talk? I thought it’d be quick.
The Wild Goose Chase
First thing? Hit up Google like “Brentford vs Ipswich head to head.” Got loads of sites flashing recent scores but zip about the old stuff. Clicked through ten pages feeling proper annoyed. Their official sites? Useless. Brentford’s “history” section only showed trophy wins, and Ipswich’s timeline stopped at the 90s. Dead end.
Then I tried social media:
Twitter: Searched #BrentfordFC and #IpswichTown. Just fans shouting about last weekend’s match.
Forums: Some bloke on a football forum claimed Ipswich won 5-0 in ’82 but zero proof.
Reddit: One thread mentioned “that rainy game in ’76” but no details. Pure hearsay.
The Turning Point
Nearly gave up till I remembered newspaper archives. Signed up for a free trial on this British paper database. Spent hours typing “Brentford Ipswich” with random years. Hit gold in the 1970s section – found a tiny match report snippet from April ’72! Scribbled it down like mad.
- 1960s: Dug up three games. All draws. How boring.
- 1980s: Found that 5-0 smackdown. Bloke on the forum was right – Ipswich wrecked ‘em.
- 1990s: Spotty records. Only got half the fixtures.
Cross-referenced everything with this ancient football almanac PDF I downloaded. Took ages flipping virtual pages.
Putting It All Together
Made a massive spreadsheet:
Column 1: Year
Column 2: Date
Column 3: Score
Column 4: Notes (like “Pitch flooded” or “Red card drama”)
Total shocker? They’ve played 89 times since 1935! Brentford actually edges it with 36 wins vs Ipswich’s 35. Pete owes me a pint for that stat. Sorted it all chronologically and dropped it in a doc with bold headers for each decade. Took me three nights but hearing Pete yell “SEE!” at the pub made it worth it.
Moral? Never trust Google with old football beef. Gotta dig like archaeology.