1996–97 Ipswich Town F.C. season

During the 1996–97 English football season, Ipswich Town competed in the Football League First Division.

In George Burley's second season in charge of Ipswich, the club reached the play-offs as they looked for a return to the Premier League at the second attempt. Ipswich were in the bottom half of the table for most of the first half of the season but their form in the new year saw Town go 10 games unbeaten and move into the play-off places. Jason Cundy was signed on loan in October to bolster the team and became permanent a month later but was diagnosed with testicular cancer in February and stopped playing. In January, Adam Tanner failed a drug test and was withdrawn from the squad and later suspended for three months.^[1]

In the play-offs, Ipswich faced Sheffield United in the semi-final. The first leg played at Bramall Lane finished 1–1.^[2] In the return leg, Niklas Gudmundsson gave Ipswich a 2–1 lead in the 73rd minute but their advantage lasted just four minutes until Andy Walker made it 2–2. With the aggregate scores level at 3–3, the game went into extra time but no further goals were scored, and Sheffield United advanced to the final as they had scored more away goals than Ipswich.^[3]

Ipswich also reached the quarter-finals of the Coca-Cola Cup, losing to Leicester City.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  ENG Richard Wright — GK  CAN Craig Forrest — DF  ENG Wayne Brown — DF  ENG Jason Cundy — DF  ENG Tony Mowbray — DF  ENG Chris Swailes — DF  ENG Tony Vaughan — DF  NED Gus Uhlenbeek — DF  ARG Mauricio Taricco — MF  ENG Steve Sedgley — MF  ENG Kieron Dyer — MF  ENG Paul Mason — MF  ENG Simon Milton — MF  ENG Mick Stockwell

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  ENG Adam Tanner — MF  WAL Geraint Williams — MF  SCO John Wark — MF  NIR Danny Sonner — MF  NED Bobby Petta — MF  NZL Lee Norfolk — MF  SCO Stuart Niven — MF  SWE Niklas Gudmundsson (on loan from Blackburn Rovers) — FW  ENG Richard Naylor — FW  ENG James Scowcroft — FW  SCO Gerry Creaney (on loan from Manchester City) — FW  SCO Alex Mathie — FW  ZAM Neil Gregory

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  NIR Aidan Davison (loan return to Bolton Wanderers) — DF  DEN Claus Thomsen (to Everton) — MF  ENG Bobby Howe (loan return to Nottingham Forest)

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  LCA Earl Jean (to Rotherham United) — FW  ENG Ian Marshall (to Leicester City)

Ipswich Town's score comes first

Date	Pos	Name	From	Fee	Ref
12 June 1996	MF	Danny Sonner	Viktoria Köln	Free transfer	[5]
1 July 1996	MF	Bobby Petta	Feyenoord	Free transfer	[6]
25 November 1996	DF	Jason Cundy	Tottenham Hotspur	£200,000	[7]
6 December 1996	FW	Earl Jean	Felgueiras	Free transfer	[8]

Date from	Pos	Name	From	Date until	Ref
9 October 1996	GK	Aidan Davison	Bolton Wanderers	9 November 1996	[9]
25 October 1996	FW	Gerry Creaney	Manchester City	30 June 1997	[10]
29 October 1996	DF	Jason Cundy	Tottenham Hotspur	24 November 1996	[7]
17 January 1997	MF	Bobby Howe	Nottingham Forrest	8 February 1997	[11]
20 March 1997	MF	Niklas Gudmundsson	Blackburn Rovers	30 June 1997	[12]

Date	Pos	Name	To	Fee	Ref
31 May 1996	GK	Clive Baker	Retired		[13]
19 June 1996	DF	Leo Cotterell	Bournemouth	Free transfer	[14]
1 July 1996	MF	Lee Durrant	Harwich & Parkeston	Free transfer	[15]
1 August 1996	DF	Neil Thompson	Barnsley	Free transfer	[16]
16 August 1996	MF	Richard Appleby	Swansea City	Free transfer	[17]
31 August 1996	FW	Ian Marshall	Leicester City	£800,000	[18]
9 September 1996	MF	Stuart Slater	Free agent	Released	[19]
16 January 1997	DF	Claus Thomsen	Everton	£900,000	[20]
23 January 1997	FW	Earl Jean	Rotherham United	Free transfer	[8]

Date from	Pos	Name	From	Date until	Ref
22 November 1996	FW	Neil Gregory	Torquay United	21 December 1996	[21]
27 March 1997	GK	Craig Forrest	Chelsea	22 April 1997	[22]

Award	Player
Player of the Year	Mauricio Taricco