In my time with working for Ipswich Star and East Anglian Daily Times, I have been very honoured and privileged to report on some amazing things. But nothing compares to this weekend.
As many of our readers will know I am not a Blue. However, I genuinely love Ipswich as a town and it’s hard not to fall in love with Ipswich Town as a team.
I will be coughing up bits of blue for weeks! (Image: Oli Picton)
I thought the weekend would be busy, I thought the atmosphere would be amazing but I was NOT prepared for what was to come when I arrived in Ipswich on Saturday.
I was tucked in the corner filming the team bus come into Portman Road, (special shoutout to Ethan for his help getting video too!), and the noise and feeling was just incredible despite me seeing nothing but blue for most of it.
For me at least, the game was the easy bit of the weekend but at the final whistle you could see trees shake from Portman Road’s roar, and the smiles in fans’ eyes as they came out of the stadium into the sunshine was brilliant.
Kieran McKenna did it again and entered into very special company with his third promotion (Image: Lucy Taylor)
Fans lined the streets from the Arcade Street Tavern to Isaacs, and speaking to pub owners showed just how much it meant to them and Ipswich fans.
It was mind-blowing to see Ipswich so busy, thousands were in the pubs and bars and streets, young and old, singing, chanting and loving every second of it.
That brings us to Monday and the parade. Watching Christchurch Park fill up was incredible, and speaking to devoted town fans showed what Ipswich is all about.
The Ipswich Town team greeted to a rapturous applause at Christchurch Park. (Image: Lucy Taylor)
I streamed much of the parade live to our Facebook page, fighting some slight tech issues, whilst the Blues celebrated with the trophy.
It was hard to hear Dara O’Shea and Darnell Furlong when I interviewed them during the celebrations over the sounds of the fans, who had Christchurch Park bouncing for hours.
For as long as I live I will never forget the feeling of talking with Kieran McKenna and turning around to see around 50,000 fans in front of me absolutely beaming.
This weekend showed Ipswich at its very best, and myself and the Mayor of Ipswich were in agreement that it feels like the town is really on the up, like the first alarm clock for the sleeping giant.
Thank you to everyone who spoke to me over the weekend, a huge thanks to my colleagues for all of their help and a massive thank you to Ipswich Town Football Club for getting the job done.
What a town. What a team. What a time. Uppa Towen.