|
When Ipswich all but secured their first division status against Arsenal
with a win on 31st March 1970 it was in no small part attributed to
ex-Gunners favourite Jimmy Robertson. Jimmy had arrived at Portman Road
from Arsenal ten days earlier with Ipswich at the bottom of the table
and in danger of returning to the second division. The impact of the
ex-Scottish international was instant; his debut against fellow
strugglers Sunderland seeing him set up both goals and also fire a shot
against a post in a vital 2-0 win. Jimmy brought a touch of class to a
workmanlike side. The final seven games of the season following
Robertson's arrival saw Town notch four wins and a draw. Jimmy netted
three goals in those first seven games for the club, one in a 2-0 win
against Southampton and two in the final game of the season as Ipswich
won 3-2 against a weakened Leeds team to give them a final position of
18th.
At the start of the 1970/71 season Ipswich struggled and it was
not until the eighth league match of the campaign that they recorded
their first victory, Robertson inspirational in a 3-0 win against
Burnley. Two of Jimmy's five goals that season came against his former
club Arsenal at Highbury but Ipswich, despite a good fight-back, lost
3-2. A draw was denied when Robertson scored from a free kick only to
have the goal disallowed. Although Ipswich struggled for the rest of the
season, Jimmy helped ensure Town stayed in the top flight with a final
position of 19th. With Ipswich now starting to gain a foothold in
Division One, the team started to evolve. Robertson played his full part
in the improved fortunes, scoring in away wins at West Bromwich Albion
and Huddersfield Town for a final total of forty games and two goals, as
Town finished the campaign in a respectable thirteenth place. Before
the transfer deadline in March 1972, Ipswich had accepted a bid of
£80,000 from Wolves for Jimmy's services, but the deal fell through when
Wolves striker Hugh Curran failed a medical for a move to Huddersfield
(again for £80,000).
There was considerable outrage amongst Town fans
that Bobby Robson would consider selling such a huge crowd favourite. He
stated, jokingly, that supporters would hang him from the Portman Road
floodlights if he sold Jimmy. However, the fans knew he would be on his
way sooner or later, as he had a get-out clause in his contract. So,
with no real surprise, a similar bid of £80,000 from Stoke City was
accepted in June 1972 and he moved on. Jimmy's career with Ipswich may
have been short, playing 98 games and scoring 12 goals, but he was vital
in helping the Blues become established in Division One. He was one of
the first significant signings that ultimately transformed Ipswich from a
struggling side into one of the most exciting sides of the 1970's and
early 1980's. (Andy Button)
|