Red, white and X-rated

Kizza's greatest moment

Wrexham v Ipswich Town, FA Cup 3rd Rd, 1995

It was nice to be asked to review this video, as it sometimes feels like this match is often overlooked when our numerous FA Cup exploits are mentioned. Even though it clearly was not as life-changing as the Arsenal game, in that Ipswich were having a stinker of a season and we did not have to come from behind to win, it can firmly be entered into the "classic cup tie" bracket. There are loads and loads of highlights on this tape, one of the most notable being video evidence of the near-mythical "Racecourse Roar" and the sheer wall of noise coming from our fans which the players can be seen visibly responding to. HopefulIy, one day we will see the return of this incredible phenomenon! Another high point is the form shown here by both Kieron Durkan and Jon Cross, especially Durkan's jaw-dropping volley to give us the lead, which had people behind the goal on the Kop throwing themselves to the ground for cover…and then getting up in jubilation to see the ball in the net. Cross, on the other hand, looks here like he could well have fulfilled those "he'll go all the way to the top" rumours. And no, I don't mean the top as in Chester!

So, the match itself. If the first half was an extremely end-to-end affair - which could have driven commentators to use the phrase, "If a neutral walked in now, he wouldn’t know which side is from the higher division" (Book of Football Cliches, Page 126) - the second was the dictionary definition of a "Classic Cup Tie" (Book of Football Cliches, Page 687). Having already mentioned Durkan's incredible volley, the game continued in penalty area-to-penalty area battling until six minutes from time, when Ipswich scored a very fortunate equaliser, which sent the (excruciatingly crap) commentator into almost comatose tones. However, this was the trigger for the most incredible finish to a game of football anywhere in the world, which would leave any follower of the game in a stupified, emotional state (OK, it wasn’t perhaps that exciting, but it got me quite hot under the collar!) Not only did Benno rifle home that penalty (and no, he didn’t nearly miss it!) and then single-handedly invent the famous "throw-your-shirt-in-the-crowd" celebration (see Book of Football Cliches [New Edition] Page 2) but Ipswich threw everything at us, even hitting the crossbar twice. We actually managed to defend, with proper clearances and everything! It's worth tracking a copy of the tape down just to have a look at what this increasingly rare sight used to look like. It's also poignant to see the scenes of jubilation at the final whistle, as scenes like this have not been scene at The Racecourse for far too long. (NB. This does not count Barry Town winning the WPC).

All things considered then, if you can track down a copy of this video it is a timely reminder of (unfortunately!) days long gone by. It's actually got some very good camera angles, such as in the roof of the net (perfect for Kizza's volley!) but it's probably best to view with the TV set to mute because the "commentator" is, at best, garbage. I'm not sure if it's still on sale in the club shop, but it's definitely worth keeping an eye out for in classified ads or jumble sales as it is a good 90 minutes of solid WFC action.

James Morris