Daryl Murphy’s 2014/15 campaign with Ipswich Town is the great anomaly of the forward’s career, with close to 25% of the league goals he scored across a 15 year career coming across that nine-month period.

The frontman was imperious during that season at Portman Road with 27 league goals to his name, and was defying the odds to produce the best form of his career the other side of his 30th birthday.

Mick McCarthy had the Tractor Boys absolutely motoring, which was something of a feat at the time, with the Suffolk club in something of a malaise after too many years stuck in the second division.

Murphy helped make them dream again, although their East Anglia foes had the last laugh a decade ago, with a play-off showdown for the ages deciding their fate.

Daryl Murphy’s career-best season spearheads Ipswich Town play-off charge

After netting 13 league goals in the previous campaign, Murphy had established himself as a middle of the road Championship striker: will reach double figures, and do enough to keep a club competitive over the course of a season.

But right from day one in that 14/15 campaign, there was a different look in his eyes; one that craved that feeling of the ball hitting the back of the net, and he was a man that would do anything to be able to soak up the jubilation of the Portman Road masses after doing so.

Recently relegated Fulham were first up, and on the half-hour Murphy already had his first of the campaign, as he collected Luke Hyam’s pass and fired past Jesse Joronen. The crowd erupt, Murphy celebrates: something that would become all too familiar in the months to come.

Millwall, Brighton, Rotherham… none of them could suppress him, with the second of those three goals demonstrating his newfound confidence in front of goal, as he buried a bouncing ball on the angle with his first touch.

A brace against Nottingham Forest followed, before adding more two-goal hauls against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leeds United. This was a man who was saving his best stuff for the biggest occasions.

Seven goals in as many games over the festive period started to give Town fans hope that a promotion push was within their grasp, with the likes of David McGoldrick and Freddie Sears chipping in when needed.

There had been talk of the potential of an East Anglia Derby for a place in the Wembley final, and the final day switch in positions made it happen, with Town in sixth and Norwich in third. Things were just about to get tasty.

Daryl Murphy fails to make play-off semi final impact

As prolific as Murphy had been throughout the campaign, he had failed to score against the Canaries in either of the two outings earlier in the season, and that pattern would continue once the play-offs got underway.

The Irishman was kept out the game by the likes of Russell Martin and Sebastien Bassong at the back, and even when he did force an opening, his cutback for Freddie Sears was kept out by John Ruddy, as was Luke Varney’s rebounded header.

Quickfire Jonny Howson and Paul Anderson goals cancelled each other out before the first-half in the first leg at Portman Road, leaving everything to play for in the return leg at Carrow Road days later.

Once again, Murphy couldn’t get into proceedings in Norfolk, and when Christophe Berra saw red for handling a shot on the line, the writing was very much on the wall for the blue side of the divide.

Even after Tommy Smith equalised, the Canaries came flooding forward time and time again, with Nathan Redmond getting the second, and Cameron Jerome adding a third with 15 minutes left to play, leaving Murphy and his teammates disconsolate at the full-time whistle.

For the 32-year-old, it was a dreamlike season that ended in a nightmare. He had the Midas touch for nine glorious months, with the Championship running scared of his unerring accuracy in front of goal.

It says a lot that the Irishman failed to match that season’s goal tally in the four years after his Town departure in the summer of 2016. This was a season of a lifetime, and although it ended in heartbreak, it was one hell of a ride to get there.

Ipswich Town, despite being reduced to ten men for all of the second 45 minutes, valiantly picked up a 1-1 draw away at Aston Villa on Saturday.

Whilst past clashes with some of the Premier League‘s top clubs have seen the Tractor Boys roll over for a demoralising defeat, this will have definitely been a confidence-boosting share of the points for Kieran McKenna‘s men as they continue to try and stave off relegation.

Liam Delap would pop up again with another sublime strike to gift his team an invaluable draw, with the ex-Manchester City striker a standout performer once more on the road alongside plenty of other positive displays.

Standout Ipswich performers vs Villa

Delap would, of course, steal a lot of the plaudits come the full-time whistle for another poacher-like performance up top, with the 22-year-old only needing 26 touches of the ball to fire home Ipswich’s surprise opener.

Only registering three accurate passes all match long too, it wasn’t necessarily the most stylish showing from the Tractor Boys number 19, but he was in the right place at the right time yet again on the 56th-minute mark to convert only his second opportunity of the contest.

Away from this instinctive finish from Ipswich’s main shining light, the showing at Villa Park as a collective also saw debutant goalkeeper Alex Palmer come up trumps with some big saves, especially when his under-the-cosh team had one less body on the pitch owing to Axel Tuanzebe’s dismissal.

In total, the ex-West Bromwich Albion shot-stopper would prevent 1.79 goals with his blockbuster six saves, which is some entrance into the Premier League for the 28-year-old.

There is another face that hasn’t been mentioned yet that would have seriously impressed McKenna watching on, as the “fantastic” attacker – as he has been labelled by McKenna in the past – dazzled again from the number ten spot.

Hutchinson’s performance in numbers

Omari Hutchinson’s stellar dart forward would set up Delap’s golden opportunity after all, with the ex-Chelsea man beating Ian Maatsen for pace and trickery before claiming himself a deserved assist.

It was certainly a full-blooded display from Hutchinson in the second half too, away from delivering the goods, with five tackles won among other notable numbers to ensure his team came away from their tricky trip to the West Midlands with a point in-tact.

He would only amass 33 touches in the contest – with Palmer managing to register 47 in contrast – but those lack of meaningful touches was more than made up in his overall effort and drive, with McKenna no doubt wanting to continue to pick Hutchinson as a starter week in week out based on his committed display against Unai Emery’s men.

His overall top-flight tally of two goals and two assists does pale in comparison to Delap’s weighty ten Premier League strikes, but both Delap and Hutchinson will be key in Ipswich trying to beat the drop regardless if their starring roles in this determined 1-1 draw are anything to go by.

Marinakis owns an 80 per cent stake at the City Ground, while Kominakis’s shares are worth 20 per cent.

It has now been revealed Kominakis has left his role as a Forest director following an update earlier this week.

Nottinghamshire Live reported on 13 February the most likely reason behind the change to the board is the club are preparing to comply with Uefa competition regulations next season.

Forest and Marinakis-owned outfit Olympiacos could both be competing in Europe next season, with the governing body’s rules prohibiting clubs from being controlled by the same owners or directors from competing in the same competition.

Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider one of the clubs would need to be put into a blind trust if there was a chance the two sides could play each other.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side currently sit third in the Premier League table, while Olympiacos are fighting for the Greek Super League title.

Nottingham Forest ownership ‘one to watch’ after new twist

Borson insisted the ownership situation at the City Ground is “one to watch” after Kominakis left the board.

He told Football Insider: “I think it’s very hard to read too much into something like that without any background insight.

“I think it’s just impossible to guess what it’s about, to be honest. I don’t know the deep relationship between Kominakis and Marinakis.

“It’s possible it could be connected to both Forest and Olympiacos being in Europe next season. But if the ultimate ownership is still Marinakis, it’s not going to make a difference whether one director moves.

“This is complete speculation, but maybe what they’ve done is agreed to move all of the ownership of Olympiacos into the hands of Kominakis and all of the ownership of Forest, with no cross directorships maybe.

“But then Marinakis would presumably have resigned from Olympiacos. We might not know whether he has or not. But one of the teams will have to go into a blind trust like what has happened with Man City and Girona if they’re both in the Champions League.

“They will have to make some provision for it, but it’s probably one to watch.”

Nottingham Forest receive boost after Evangelos Marinakis injection

Kominakis’s departure as a director comes after Marinakis has been making moves to convert his shareholder loans into equity.

Football Insider revealed on 16 January Marinakis had written off £72million of loans after making a similar £82million transaction earlier in the month.

The latest injection comes after it was confirmed any shareholder loans still in effect after 11 January must be submitted as an associated party transaction (APT) and undergo a fair market value assessment following the Premier League’s recent legal battle with Manchester City.

The Nottingham side will now avoid having to pay any interest on the Greek businessman’s loans.

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Alex Palmer’s journey to the Premier League has not been straightforward, but Town’s new goalkeeper always believed the opportunity to play in the top flight would come.

A product of the West Bromwich Albion academy, it took the 28-year-old until October 2022 before making his Baggies league debut in the Championship after a host of temporary spells away from the Hawthorns.

Palmer played in non-league for hometown club Kidderminster Harriers before gradually climbing the football pyramid with further spells at Plymouth Argyle and Lincoln City after a few brief appearances elsewhere on emergency loans.

Now, after two and a half full seasons of Championship football under his belt, which included keeping the division’s highest number of clean sheets last season, the glovesman is set to be first choice for Kieran McKenna for the foreseeable future.

“I always had that belief that I’d get the chance,” Palmer said following his man-of-the-match performance against Aston Villa. “I’ve been around long enough to know that if it happens it happens. That’s how I take life, I don’t try and force too much.

“When I got the chance to come here to a good club and a great manager, I jumped at it. To be able to make my debut is a very proud moment for me and my family.

“With all the loans and all the appearances I’ve made, it’s all come down to help me in these environments. It’s a real privilege and I’m really proud to do it for Ipswich Town.”

Having left West Brom on transfer deadline day after a 14-year association with the club, Palmer’s maiden Premier League appearance came just four miles down the road at Villa Park.

As a result, the Blues’ latest recruit had a number of family members in attendance, including his mum Lisa, of whom Palmer credits much of his sporting success to.

He said: “I know a few people on the opposite side as well. There’s a lot of staff members that have helped me get here that are at Aston Villa and I’m grateful for the chance they gave me when I was younger at West Brom.

“They were all happy for me and happy for where I am. I tried to stay on their good side, I think they’re all more happy for me and it’s a good day.

“I had my wife and my agent here who is more like a mentor, he’s been with me since I was 17. They’ve always supported me, they’ve always travelled wherever I’ve been to come and watch me even if it’s just one of them. I’m really grateful for how they are and how they support me.

“My nan, my grandad, they were all supporting my mum. It was a tough time for her, she had three kids that she had to ferry around playing football, horse riding or whatever. She was able to do that and that’s a big reason why I’m standing here today.

“She’s proud, I gave her a little wave and blew her a kiss in the crowd along with my wife, it was a nice moment.”

A point in the West Midlands was not enough to lift Town out of the relegation zone, but it did end a run of four straight league defeats and came in gritty circumstances after Axel Tuanzebe was sent off towards the end of the first half.That was in no small part to Palmer’s acrobatic contributions, having denied Morgan Rogers in stoppage time after his close-range effort deflected off former Baggies teammate Conor Townsend.

Asked if it felt like a win when the final whistle blew, Palmer said: “At the end it does feel like that but we would have definitely liked an extra two points.

“It shows the togetherness and we’ll dig in. If it’s just for a point we’ll settle for it but it’s a point gained rather than a point lost.

“It’s been cut back, the lad’s scuffed his shot and it’s flicked up off Conor. It was just instinct and a bit of luck with which side of the post it falls, I was just able to do my job.”

Photo: Action Images/Reuters

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Ipswich Town Women went top of the league as they ran out 2-1 winners over Exeter City in Felixstowe this afternoon, thanks to goals from Sophie Peskett and Ella Rutherford.

Maisy Barker should have scored in the third minute of the game as the ball came to her following a great run from Peskett but, with the Exeter goalkeeper out of her net, Barker put her effort just wide of the post.

It was a quick start from Town, as Lucy Watson played through Peskett in the fifth minute. She had just the keeper to beat, but it was well saved by Abbi Bond to deny the winger.

Exeter broke the deadlock in the 12th minute through Sophie Gillies. She got the wrong side of Megan Wearing and, from the edge of the area, her well-hit shot fired into the back of the net.

Town drew level in the 30th minute as Peskett received the ball on the edge of the area and her shot through a sea of bodies took a deflection on its way to the back of the net.

The referee duly brought the first half to a close. A good game with little to separate the sides.

The second half continued much the same. Both teams saw lots of the ball but no chances within the first 15 minutes of the half presented themselves to either side.

There was very little to shout about in the second half, with just a speculative effort from Lucy O’Brien in the 68th minute being the stand-out chance, but it flew well over the bar.

Then, in the 86th minute, Rutherford scored an absolute peach of a goal. A great turn from Peskett saw her play it to Rutherford. And from from 25-yards she struck the ball with her left foot and it flew into the bottom right corner.

The strike secured a huge win for the Tractor Girls, who go top of the league with two games in hand over Hashtag United.

Town Starting XI: Negri, Mitchell, Boswell (C), Wearing, Barker (Hughes,60), Robertson, Doe (Guyatt,81), Watson (Rutherford,60), O’Brien, Peskett (Fisher,87), Thomas (Addison,81)

Ipswich Town are now showing interest in a summer move for an “excellent” defender who is currently starring in the Championship, according to a report.

Ipswich fighting to avoid the drop

It was always going to be a tough task for Ipswich to avoid relegation from the Premier League, but they are refusing to go down without a fight, and it was another spirited performance away at Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.

Despite going down to 10 men in the first half, with Axel Tuanzebe being shown a red card, the Tractor Boys managed to pick up a point at a tough place to go in Villa Park, with Liam Delap once again getting on the scoresheet in a 1-1 draw.

Kieran McKenna‘s side are still two points from safety, but Saturday’s performance should give them confidence heading into another tough period.

There is still uncertainty as to which division Ipswich will be playing in next season, but they are starting to look at potential recruits ahead of the summer transfer window.

According to a report from GiveMeSport, the Tractor Boys are now showing interest in Millwall’s Japhet Tanganga, who has impressed in the Championship this season.

However, there could be a great deal of competition for Tanganga’s signature, with Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United and Southampton also name-checked as potential destinations.

He’s outscoring Delap: Ipswich must rue not signing PL star now worth £67m

Premier League scouts are planning to watch the defender in action next month when Crystal Palace take on the Lions at Selhurst Park in the FA Cup.

In the January transfer window, Millwall warded off interest in the centre-back with a £12m asking price, but it is unclear how much they would be looking to receive for him in the summer.

Tanganga could be an “excellent” signing

Regardless of which league Ipswich find themselves in next season, the 25-year-old could be a fantastic addition to the squad given his top-flight experience and performances in the second tier this season.

As per Sofascore, the former Tottenham Hotspur man has averaged a match rating of 7.18, the highest of any player in the Millwall squad, and he has established himself as a key player, making 29 appearances in the Championship.

Ex-Millwall boss Neil Harris was also full of praise for the Englishman earlier this season, saying: “He’s a Premier League player all day long, we all know that.

“We want him on the pitch every week and he knows his place in the team. I know what he’s excellent at, which is pretty much everything.”

As such, it is promising news that Ipswich are now in the race to sign Tanganga, and they should continue to monitor his performances in the Championship for the remainder of the season.

Emerson Palmieri‘s sorry display for West Ham United in their 1-0 defeat to Brentford has proven why Graham Potter must look for an upgrade on the Italian left-back.

Kevin Schade netted the only goal of the game in the fourth minute for the Bees, finding the back of the net at the second time of asking after Alphonse Areola had denied his initial attempt. Yoane Wissa thought he’d put his side further in front in the 41st minute, but VAR intervened and ruled the goal out for an offside in the build-up.

The visitors warranted their half-time lead and could have been further out of sight if they had taken their chances against a disappointing Hammers’ side who were tame in front of goal and had questionable defending. Potter reacted to the poor first-half display by bringing off Emerson for Oliver Scarles after watching Bryan Mbeumo toy with the former Chelsea man and the versatile 19-year-old, who was an improvement on the veteran full-back.

The Italian’s vulnerabilities were on display against BrentfordEmerson offered nothing going forward for the Hammers in his 45-minute outing at the London Stadium, and he was one of several underperformers on Potter’s team who cannot be relied upon as a starter for much longer.

The 30-year-old made three clearances and won two of three ground duels but was non-existent in the air, beaten to the ball on two occasions — the 29-cap Italy international continues to show alarming signs of regression that undoubtedly makes that left-back position a priority to tackle in the summer transfer window.

Reports claimed ahead of today’s game that doubts are growing within the West Ham coaching team regarding Emerson’s form and future at the club. The transfer chiefs have been tasked with finding a replacement for the defender, who sits on purported wages of £95,000.

Potter’s patience must be wearing thin over the Brazilian-born defender, especially because his poor run of form has often led to summer signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka being used as a makeshift left-back. He will have a year left on his contract at the end of the season, and the time is now to offload him and find a long-term replacement.

Full-backs are vital positions in Potter’s system, as was seen during his impressive spell in charge of Brighton & Hove Albion, overseeing Spain’s Euro 2024 winning left-back Marc Cucurella‘s development. The Hammers boss wants his full-backs or wing-backs to support his attackers with direct off-the-ball runs into attacking spaces, and Emerson doesn’t look up for such a challenge.