Previous Meetings…
This weekend’s game will mark the first competitive meeting between West Ham and Ipswich at Portman Road since the Tractor Boys ran out 5-1 winners in the EFL Championship on 31 January 2012.
We have been to Portman Road four times previously in the Premier League and never lost, drawing 1-1 on the first three occasions in December 1993, April 1995 and October 2000, then winning 3-2 in October 2001, when Paolo Di Canio, Frédéric Kanouté and 19-year-old substitute Jermain Defoe were on target.
There have been some particularly historic encounters involving the two outfits, with an Alan Taylor brace earning the Irons a 2-1 FA Cup semi-final replay win over Ipswich in April 1975, ahead of our final triumph a few weeks later.
West Ham also got the better of Ipswich in the second-tier play-off semi-finals in 2004 and 2005, going on to earn promotion in the latter.
The Hammers did not visit Portman Road for a competitive fixture until November 1954, when Dave Sexton, John Dick and Jimmy Andrews scored in a 3-0 Second Division victory for Ted Fenton’s Irons.
That remains our joint-biggest win there, having been matched by a 3-0 First Division success in March 1984, when Paul Hilton, Tony Cottee and an own-goal by England defender Terry Butcher secured three points for future Ipswich manager John Lyall’s Hammers.
Match Officials…
Referee: Tim Robinson
Assistant Referees: Mark Scholes and Steve Meredith
Fourth Official: Sam Allison
VAR: Matt Donohue
Assistant VAR: Mat Wilkes
Tim Robinson has been confirmed as the referee for Sunday’s Premier League match away at Ipswich Town.
One of the top-flight’s newest regular officials, Robinson took charge of his first match in the division in December 2019, a 1-0 win for Burnley over Newcastle United, and was promoted to Professional Game Match Officials Limited's (PGMOL) Select Group 1 ahead of the 2023/24 season.
The West Sussex native has refereed 14 top-tier matches this season, giving out 64 yellow cards and two red cards. He will referee a West Ham Premier League game for the third time this season at Portman Road, having also taken charge of the Hammers’ draws away at Fulham in September and at home to AFC Bournemouth in April. He also held the whistle during our 2-1 FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa in January.
Previously, Robinson took charge of the EFL League One Play-Off final in 2022/23, as Sheffield Wednesday beat Barnsley 1-0 after extra-time at Wembley.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.