IPSWICH Town visit Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road tonight (kick-off 8pm) seeking their first double of the season.

Elvin King

IPSWICH Town visit Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road tonight (kick-off 8pm) seeking their first double of the season.

It would be an opportune moment to collect their second away league win with Town just one point above the drop zone and with a run of four successive away matches.

Town beat Rangers 3-0 at home on December 28, which is their biggest win of the season.

This will be only the second time in their history that Ipswich have faced four consecutive away league games.

The only previous occasion was in 1950/51 when they had two wins and two defeats. In between were two FA Cup ties making it six away trips on the trot.

At the back end of the 1960/61 season Ipswich ended with a 4-1 victory at Derby 4-1 followed by a 2-1 loss at Swansea 2-1. And in their opening two matches in the First Division in the championship-winning season they drew 0-0 at Bolton and lost 4-3 in an epic at Burnley.

The same thing happened at the end of 1955/56 and start of 1956/57 and also at the end of 1951/2 (three games) and the first match of 1952/53.

It is 13 seasons since Ipswich last went four games without a home match - with one game an FA Cup tie.

In late December early January in 1996/97 they lost 2-0 at Huddersfield then drew 1-1 at Charlton before losing 3-0 at Nottingham Forest in the cup and then beating Barnsley 2-1 in the league.

Ipswich Town's six successive away games (1950/51): November 18 - Crystal Palace (1-3), November 25 - Leyton Orient (FA Cup) (1-2), December 2 - Newport County (1-2), December 9 - Brighton (FA Cup (2-0), December 16 - Northampton Town (2-1), December 23 - Plymouth Argyle (2-1).

Ipswich last played four consecutive away games in 1996/97: December 28 - Huddersfield Town (2-0), January 1 - Charlton Athletic (1-1), January 4 (FA Cup) - Nottingham Forest (3-0), January 18 - Barnsley (1-2).

The last time Ipswich played four consecutive away league fixtures was in 1960/61 and 1961/62: April 24 - Derby County (1-4), April 29 - Swansea (2-1), August 19 - Bolton Wanderers (0-0), August 22 - Burnley (4-3).