by MATT PLUMMER

IPSWICH Town head to Birmingham City on Saturday for a fixture that stirs up memories of an epic, rollercoaster Worthington Cup semi-final at St Andrew’s.

The sides met over two legs in January 2001 but it was Trevor Francis’ Blues, rather than their East Anglian counterparts, who eventually progressed to the final against Liverpool.

Town had the ascendancy heading into the second encounter after Marcus Stewart’s penalty just before half-time handed them a 1-0 advantage at Portman Road.

But that was only a taster of the drama to follow on a mud bath of a pitch two weeks later.

George Burley’s Ipswich went into the second leg riding high in fifth place in the then-named Premiership, although their confidence had been pricked by a 4-1 mauling at Chelsea (in which current Colchester United head coach John McGreal was sent off) and a narrow FA Cup defeat at Sunderland.

Nevertheless, hopes were high of a historic night if they could hold their nerve and protect their slender first-leg advantage.

Sadly, neither applied and it was former U’s midfielder Martin Grainger who made the tie all-square, nodding home from virtually on the line after Gary Croft sliced a cross into the air and Richard Wright flapped at the high ball.

Geoff Horsfield steered the hosts ahead early in the second half, gobbling up a chance at the second attempt, but James Scowcroft sparked delirium among the travelling fans with a well-taken goal from Jamie Clapham’s pass.

Game on.

Town were only losing 2-1 and that was the way it finished after 90 minutes.

They knew they would progress by virtue of their away goal if they could just negotiate extra-time.

No such luck. Horsfield struck again, clipping his shot past Wright after being played in by former Town loanee Danny Sonner.

And worse followed in the 116th minute after a back-pass by Jermaine Wright – the dad of former Colchester winger Drey and current U’s midfielder Diaz.

Namesake Richard Wright miss-kicked – no doubt due to the horrendous, muddy and bobbly pitch – and Andrew Johnson pounced to spark a mass pitch invasion and confirm Birmingham’s first appearance in a major final for 38 years.

Burley was magnanimous afterwards and said: “We can’t blame the pitch.

“On any pitch, if you give goals away like we did you’re going to struggle.”

The Town team that fateful night was Richard Wright, Croft, McGreal, Richard Naylor, Mark Venus, Hermann Hreidarsson, Jermaine Wright, Jim Magilton, Matt Holland, Clapham and Stewart.

Scowcroft replaced Naylor at half-time and Town brought on Martijn Reuser and Amir Karic in extra-time, for Croft and Magilton.

Birmingham lost on penalties in the final against Liverpool at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, after the contest finished 1-1.