Ipswich 2-2 Norwich City: First East Anglian derby in four years ends in zesty stalemate as Tractors Boys' wait for a win against the Canaries rolls on

To put into context how long Ipswich fans have waited to see their side win the Old Farm derby, boss Kieran McKenna was just calling time on his playing career as a 22-year-old at Tottenham and Norwich City’s Jonathan Rowe, who scored twice here in a 2-2 draw, was five years old.

Not since 2009 have the Tractor Boys taken the bragging rights in this one and the wait - Norwich are now unbeaten in their last 13 in this fixture - goes on, until at least the return at Carrow Road in April.

This has been a match-up two years to the day in the making for McKenna. Since taking over with Ipswich, then middling in League One, and elevating them to where they are now, second in the Championship and dreaming of the Premier League, he is the architect of a club reborn.

Fans here know there are bigger prizes at play, course there are. But don’t let anyone tell you this didn’t mean a huge amount to those that flocked to Portman Road.

Not since February 2019, when Norwich ran out 3-0 winners at Carrow Road, have these sides played a competitive Old Farm derby. Norwich were second that day, going top with victory. Ipswich were bottom of the Championship and found themselves plunging in the opposite direction. What a difference four-and-a-half years make.

For here were Ipswich, standing as the best performing team in the top four tiers of English football in 2023. They have been, no matter which metric you choose, the best in class.

Heading into this one McKenna’s side had played the most games (30), lost the fewest matches (3), scored the most goals (100), won the most points (100) and averaged the most points per game (2.33).

Add to that they had won eight straight at Portman Road and there was no surprise that fans arrived brimming with optimism and belief.

Choreographed by the Blue Action supporters’ group, thousands of Ipswich fans swapped pre-match pints for lining the pavements down Constantine Road. Blue flares plunged into the sky above, with a plume of smoke engulfing the team bus as it arrived.

The noise was deafening - but tempers frayed when the grey BMW that followed Ipswich’s bus, which was escorting Norwich City co-owner Delia Smith, was targeted by home fans. A can of Carlsberg landed on the bonnet before the police escort picked up some speed.

Any suggestion of tensions might reduce inside Portman Road were quickly rubbished. Norwich forward Ashley Barnes went crashing through the back of goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky just nine minutes in, and soon after his team-mate Borja Sainz was down clutching his face, claiming a poke in the eye. Replays suggested that was a stretch from the playmaker.

Ipswich, as many expected given their dominance this season, played more of the football, Norwich finding their possession was coming in their own third more often than not.

They should been punished twice before they were behind, Nathan Broadhead with his head in hands in disbelief at how he’d not scored.

His first saw him dance through the Norwich defenders, weaving in and out of men like traffic cones, before scuppering his finish wide of the post. Four minutes later he was about eight yards out when he dug the ball out from under his feet to fire wide.

It would be third time’s a charm for the Welshman as he was on hand on the edge of the six-yard box - amazingly unmarked - to stab into the top corner leaving Angus Gunn no chance. Redemption Day, as it was being viewed in these parts, was going as planned.

What wasn’t in the script was Norwich getting in on the action - and yet England Under-21 star Jonathan Rowe struck twice either side of the interval to put them ahead.

His first was a stroke of fortune, initially messing up his bicycle kick inside the area before lofting an unorthodox finish back across goal and in. His second was a low drive straight through the legs of an unsighted Hladky.

‘Bring on the f***ing derby,’ Rowe tweeted in the build-up. Well, it was game on now.

Ipswich rallied; this raucous home crowd wasn’t going to settle for anything less.

And each of them, as well as Ipswich super-fan Ed Sheeran, got to celebrate once more when Wes Burns fired low into the bottom left corner on the hour mark.

Sheeran, who spent the midweek match at Watford in the company of Hornets icon Sir Elton John, was jumping up and down wildly. He, like every home fan packed in here, had waited a while to celebrate goals against Norwich.