YET again the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Ipswich Town was on display last night with a highly competant display against George Burley's Southampton.It must be as frustrating to Jim Magilton as it is to the supporters to know that the team can turn over anyone at Portman Road - yet is unable to buy a victory away from home.

YET again the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Ipswich Town was on display last night with a highly competant display against George Burley's Southampton.

It must be as frustrating to Jim Magilton as it is to the supporters to know that the team can turn over anyone at Portman Road - yet is unable to buy a victory away from home.

Even Norwich City, despite their perilous position at the foot of the table, now have one win notched in the away column!

Of course the home form is so devastating that the team is very handily placed in the promotion race and there is the knowledge that if Town had been able to convert two of its away draws into victories the team would now be in the top two.

There must be a temptation to over-analyse the cause of Town's awayday blues but with a home match against Barnsley coming up on Saturday, now is the time to concentrate on the positive and look forward to another sparkling show against the Tykes from south Yorkshire.

Town's next away match is at Bristol City in a week's time. They will inevitably be determined to avenge this month's annihilation at Portman Road - but at least Town will know they have the beating of the west countrymen.

And once an away victory comes, surely more will follow . . . and transform Town from promotion possibles to promotion probables.

NEW roads are not always the answer to transport problems - but there are occasions when they can be important for society.

The RAC Foundation has hit the nail on the head when it says the A12 between Ipswich and the M25 needs urgent improvements.

The problem with this road is that it has never been looked at as a complete route - individual by-passes and road widening schemes have been built over the last 50 years without any real look at the road as a whole.

So some stretches of the road are 1990s-quality motorways while others are 1950s-style dual carriageways built at a time when cars could not travel at more than 60mph.

Most people who use the A12 are not travelling from Ipswich to London - that journey is betted done by train - but it is a vital link to the M25 giving this region a link with the economically-important south east of England.

What is needed is a holistic look at the entire route. The entire road does not need to be replaced - but it has to be brought up to a standard fit for the 21st century.

HAS Tiny re-emerged after nearly a year of freedom flying around Suffolk?

An eagle owl has now shown itself in Shotley - which must put the wind up the squirrels, mice and rats looking for somewhere warm to spend the winter.

Our winter should not be too much of a problem for an eagle owl - they live in the northern forests so this must seem almost tropical to them!

And his presence in the area will certainly give the area's birdwatchers something to look out for during the winter months.