Ipswich Round-Up, Wednesday 28th October: Akpom Opens Up on Turning Things Around Under O'Neil
Plenty of Town talk on a busy Wednesday, with Chuba Akpom the headline act. The striker has revealed he "had a point to prove" as he explained how he has turned things around under Kieran O'Neil. O'Neil himself has been discussing how he sees Akpom and Flemming working together, likening introducing the pair up top to "bringing them on together". There was also some encouraging news on the fitness front, with stats showing Town among the Premier League's physical elite.
Elsewhere around the first-team squad, an on-loan Town striker looks set to have a new manager to work under at his League One club, while a striker who left Town following a contract dispute got off the mark on his debut for Kieran Dyer's non-league side. There was also a notable moment for an Ipswich-born striker, who helped a League Two side cause a cup shock against the Premier League champions.
On the women's side, the Tractor Girls boss has been full of praise after confirming a permanent deal for Princess, describing her as "a bloody good footballer".
Off the pitch, the club has announced its latest batch of community partners and suppliers (ITFC.co.uk).
Away from football, there's plenty happening around the town. Business leaders have renewed their call for a Northern Bypass for Ipswich as the Budget approaches, while the wider Budget has brought other headlines affecting local residents, including the scrapping of standing charges on gas bills from next year and a rise in machine gaming duty to 25%, which operator Entain has branded "another disappointing decision by the government".
In local news, an Ipswich man aged 19 has admitted strangling two women on New Year's Day, while a shoplifter who barged a security guard has been jailed, and a man has denied possessing nail-studded clubs, nunchucks and other homemade weapons. Police were also called to reports of a party in the centre of Ipswich.
On a brighter note, a Suffolk charity quiz has raised £10,826 to support cancer patients across the county, a Christmas campaign is hoping to gather more than 300 gifts for older people, and an Ipswich nursery has been praised by Ofsted after inspectors found children "thrive" there.
Plans are also moving forward on housing, with nearly 14,000 new homes said to be needed in Ipswich over the next 20 years, alongside a £13.4m plan aimed at tackling homelessness in the town. Meanwhile, two previously empty Ipswich shops have been snapped up as demand returns to the high street.
Finally, for those wanting a bit of festive cheer, the ultimate Christmas shopping experience is returning to Suffolk, and one of the UK's best light trails is also set to make a comeback in the county.
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
