IPSWICH Town fans keen to see the East Anglian derby match with Norwich in March started queuing for tickets shortly after midnight today.The crunch match is on Sunday, March 2, and Town will be taking almost 2,000 fans for the short trip up the A140.

By Paul Geater

IPSWICH Town fans keen to see the East Anglian derby match with Norwich in March started queuing for tickets shortly after midnight today.

The crunch match is on Sunday, March 2, and Town will be taking almost 2,000 fans for the short trip up the A140.

By the time the ticket office opened at 9am today, more than 300 people were queuing for tickets – and officials don't expect them to last long.

"Today the tickets are going on sale to Gold Members (club members who are also season ticket holders) and if there are any left later this week they go on sale to other season ticket holders and then to other members.

"But we aren't really expecting to have any left by then," said Ipswich Town spokesman.

The club has been allocated 1,975 tickets for the match at Carrow Road when Town will hope to do better than they did in September when the team was held to a 1-1 draw at Portman Road.

Three fans who were determined not to miss out were James Bass, from Nacton, Nick Richardson and Tom Jennings, who both live near the town centre.

They secured their places at the front of the queue.

James, aged 20, said: "I'd queue for a week to get tickets for this match. It's the one game that all true Town fans want to go to."

He's a season ticket holder who manages to go to most away games as well – even though he's a student in Yorkshire.

The lads were hoping to get away promptly after 9 o'clock: Tom works at a local co-op, Nick works for Axa, and James had to get to a history lecture at Leeds University by 3pm!