16 December 2023 , 12:03
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A car carrying Norwich City owner Delia Smith was struck by a flying beer can ahead of their local derby with fierce rivals Ipswich Town.
The famous TV chef was heading into the car park at Portman Road in a BMW when a can of Carlsberg came flying through the air and landing on the bonnet. Ipswich fans also let off blue flares as she entered the grounds with residue covering the vehicle as it drove through the crowds.
The driver of Smith's car made the error of following Ipswich's team bus, which was welcomed by a sea of home supporters. After parking up, Smith stayed hiding in the vehicle for a good 10 minutes before emerging to head inside.
Norwich headed to their rivals as the underdogs at Portman Road for the first time in recent memory, with Smith among the faces in the crowd, along with musician and lifelong Ipswich fan Ed Sheeran. Ipswich are flying under the management of former Manchester United coach Kieran McKenna, who had steered them to second in the table prior to kick-off, just a point behind leaders Leicester City and after scoring more goals than any other side in the division (45 in 21 games).
McKenna told reporters ahead of the game: “As staff and players we want to be involved in big games, in full stadiums, with the outcome meaning a lot to the people that we care about - and this is one of them.
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A car carrying the Norwich owner was pelted with beer cans (PA)“Until you get down here you don’t realise, one, how big and important Ipswich is in the county of Suffolk and how much interest and investment there is from the whole community in the football club, and, two, how much of a rivalry there is with Norwich. We’re all fully aware of that.
"We want to enjoy the extra edge, the extra atmosphere, but also we can’t lose sight of what’s got us to where we are. That means we need to stick our process, prepare as well as we can, respect the opposition and do everything we can to give ourselves the best possible chance of performing on the day."
David Wagner's Norwich are languishing in mid-table, a full 21 points behind their bitter rivals, and defeat would mark their first loss to Ipswich since 2009. The two sides have not met since the 2018/19 season.
But Wagner warned Ipswich that form goes out the window in games of this nature. "This is my first one [derby] in England and we are looking forward to it," Wagner told the East Anglian Daily Times. "First of all, big credit to their [Ipswich Town's] season so far. They deserved exactly where they are.
Musician Ed Sheeran was among the faces at Portman Road for the match (PA)"But the truth is, as well, as everybody knows, in a derby everything that went before or comes after doesn't count. It doesn't count in which league you are, in which position you are, it doesn't count how recent results have gone.
"Maybe it gives you a little bit of a better feeling, but everybody who played derbies knows this doesn't count when it's derby time."