Ipswich Town 2015/16 season
League Position: 7th (2014/15: 6th)
Average league attendance: 18,989 (2014/15: 19,603)
Top league goalscorers: Brett Pittman (10) and Daryl Murphy (10)
The Tractor Boys started the season hoping to go one better than their previous sixth-place finish but ended up dropping into seventh by May, missing out on the Play-Offs altogether.
Major departures over the summer included the release of Darren Ambrose, Frank Nouble, Stephen Hunt and Frederic Veseli. Tyrone Mings brought in the biggest transfer fee, leaving for AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. They used some of the money to bring in midfielder Jonathan Douglas, who left Griffin Park after four seasons in red and white stripes.
A run of fine form in the wintery months of November and December saw them climb up the Championship, but results in the later stages stalled their slow rise up the table. Two goalless draws against Charlton Athletic and Wolverhampton Wanderers disappointed the coaching staff, as Derby County accelerated into sixth place and Cardiff City snatched seventh spot away from them.
Three draws, three wins and four defeats - their February and March form - summed up their season. A few victories put them in a good position to spring up the league table but rocky patches saw them slowly slide back down. In fact, their records at home and away were almost identical. Nine wins in both columns, then eight draws and six losses in front of their own fans, while losing seven and drawing seven elsewhere.
Additions to the team in January were mainly made up of loan signings; Liam Feeney from Bolton Wanderers, Ben Pringle from Rotherham United and Paul Digby from Barnsley. One further signing was made permanent in the form of Kevin Foley from FC Copenhagen, who had only joined the Danish league last year.
Three notable players left the club in the same transfer window. Jonathan Parr, formerly of Crystal Palace, returned to his native home of Norway to play for Stromsgodset, James Alabi was signed by Chester and Alex Henshall was loaned to Kilmarnock.
With six games to go they were in eighth, seven points from the top six. Defeat to Brentford all but ended their hopes of closing that gap, five games later they finished their season five points off sixth and only four above The Bees in ninth.
The Ground
Portman Road Ipswich IP1 2DA Click here for directions to Portman Road
The Manager
Mick McCarthy was appointed manager of The Tractor Boys in November 2012, taking over from Paul Jewell and saving the club from relegation. With long-term assistant coach Terry Connor, he guided the team to ninth place the following season. In 2014 they signed new contracts after taking the squad to the play-offs for the first time in a decade, losing to Norwich City in the semi-finals.
A former defender, the 57-year-old made appearances for Barnsley, Manchester City and Celtic in his playing days. He earned 57 caps for the Republic of Ireland before going on to manage them for six years, taking them to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
The First Meeting
12 November 1955, Football League Division Three South - Brentford 3 Ipswich Town 2 Brentford XI: Cakebread; Tickridge, Coote, Rainford, Robinson, Roe, Pearson, Morgan, Francis, Taylor, Towers Wendell Morgan and Jim Towers continue their fine goalscoring form, while George Francis adds his first of the season to win it at Griffin Park.
The Last Meeting
9 April 2016, Sky Bet Championship - Ipswich Town 1 Brentford 3 Brentford XI: Button; Colin, Dean, Barbet, Bidwell; Woods, McCormack; Canos, Judge, Saunders; Vibe Sam Saunders opens the scoring, with Lasse Vibe adding two as Brentford pick up third win in a week. Game is marred by a severe injury to Alan Judge in the early minutes.
Head to Head
Brentford wins: 2 Draws: 4 Ipswich wins: 6