THE EAST ANGLIA DERBY RARELY crops up in discussions about the world’s most intense local rivalries. Perhaps Lee Mason, the referee of yesterday’s encounter at Portman Road, was aware of this and decided to inject some vim into the occasion; perhaps he was also slightly surprised by the fierce noise and heat that he managed to generate.

A series of unfathomable decisions by Lee not only bemused and angered the Ipswich Town supporters but turned the match decisively in favour of Norwich City. There were only 18 minutes gone when Kevin Lisbie, pursued by Sito Castro, the Ipswich right back, was set free 25 yards from goal by Paul McVeigh; Lisbie and Castro’s legs tangled, seemingly accidentally, and Lisbie went sprawling.

Whether or not the incident warranted a free kick was debatable, but when Mason showed the red card to Castro, the sense of disbelief inside Portman Road was palpable. He may have been the last man, but the trip did not appear to be deliberate.

Joe Royle, the Ipswich manager, was unhappy with the decision and said the club would appeal against the red card. “I thought it was a tangle of legs and it was hardly a scoring chance with the ball running through to the goalkeeper. I’m not even sure there was even contact,” he said.

Ipswich were the first to settle and were playing neat, considered football before the sending off. But chances were few and their best effort in the first half came after 16 minutes when Jay McEveley, the left back on loan from Blackburn Rovers, whipped in a curling cross that was met eight yards out with a diving header by Sam Parkin. Robert Green, the Norwich goalkeeper, scrambled to his right and just managed to keep the ball out from going inside his right-hand post.

Norwich, after their poor start to the season, looked nervous and it wasn’t until Mason intervened with the sending off that they started to create chances. On 23 minutes, Lisbie suddenly found himself free inside the penalty box behind the Ipswich defence but he stuttered like a fast bowler with the yips in his run up, offering Jason de Vos enough time to make a last-ditch saving challenge.

Lisbie was again in prime position in the 34th minute when, after a superb cross from Dean Marney, he missed his header from seven yards. A few minutes later, Youssef Safri picked the ball up 40 yards out and ran at the Ipswich defence. His run barely deviated from a straight line but he squirmed through the pliant home rearguard and, with only Lewis Price to beat, forced the Ipswich goalkeeper to make a splendid save.

The goal that Norwich had been theatening came five minutes into the second half when Gary Doherty sent a long ball out to the left where Darren Huckerby, the substitute, was scampering along the touchline. Huckerby got in front of McEveley and the winger, from just inside the penalty area, stroked the ball home from an angle past the advancing Price.

Thereafter, Ipswich awoke from their slumber. The ten men piled forward and, four minutes after Huckerby’s strike, Kevin Horlock sent in a cross that Parkin, six yards from goal, should have done better than head two feet over the crossbar.

Ipswich were heartened and for the next ten minutes Norwich were unable to escape from their penalty area. But the squall subsided and Huckerby should have scored a second only to scoop the ball over from three yards when found by Safri. And still the Ipswich fans sang: “One nil to the referee”.

“I was proud of my players but disappointed with the manner of the defeat,” Royle said. “We started the match strongly but we are not getting the breaks. Lewis Price made a bit of a “Horlicks” for their goal. There are a lot of positives and I can take heart from the performance in view of our list of injured players."