Whoever said the first division was the closest league, must think again. Here we had a team second in the table against a team fourth from bottom and the difference was immense. Ipswich's pass and move game ripped Pompey apart, particularly in a 12 minute spell during the first half when three goals flew past Petterson. After the game Ball let the players know how he felt, and how.
"What words can I use to describe that performance? Pathetic, abysmal, gutless and disgraceful. They have let the supporters down. Ipswich are a very good pass and move team. But we were absolutely embarrassing." Raged Ball, who also demanded the players looked at themselves and admit they were awful.
Ball was forced to make two changes to the side which lost to Bolton. He received the shock news that Andy Awford is now out for six weeks with a knee injury so Russell Perrett returned in his place and as captain. Also Alan McLoughlin was out with a calf injury so Fitzroy Simpson came in. New Norweigen signing Sven Andreasson was on the bench.
The opening 20 minutes saw Pompey comfortably hold out their opponents and that was all it was. With only Steve Claridge up front Pompey created nothing. Surely Ball would have to use one or both of the striking options on the bench in new boy Sven Andreasson and teenager Luke Nightingale.
Eventually Ipswich broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute and that was the signal for further damage. Samassi Abou, on loan from West Ham, played a return pass to Naylor who had time in the area to fire a left foot shot past Petterson.
Two minutes later Mowbray's long ball dissected Thomson and Perrett allowing Naylor to control the ball just inside the area and score with his second touch.
The game was finished in the 31st minute when Abou slipped Dyer into the area and the England under-21 star beat Petterson to make the score a shocking 3-0. It might have been four had Abou placed his shot more accurately than shooting straight at Petterson.
The majority of the full house crowd were thoroughly enjoying their team's destruction of a Pompey side clear looking relegation material. The 1,000 or so fans who had made the trip up were probably thinking why did they bother going in the first place?
At the start of the second half Ball made a triple substitution with Claridge, Thorgersen and Vlachos going off for Nightingale, Andreasson and Pethick.
The tactical change made no difference though as Ipswich went in search of further goals. Naylor missed a good chance to claim a hat-trick when he put a shot wide from close range. The home side were now in cruise control and Pompey were still in first gear.
Petta, Clapham and Dyer went close to adding further goals with Pompey's closest chance coming from Thomson's 40-yard effort which flew inches wide.
Then of course afterwards Ball had his say. "They are not honest enough to face up to themselves in the mirror. And they cannot take a good old-fashioned bollocking from their manager. They were gutless. They are well-paid professional footballers who didn't do their jobs. If they had been bricklayers the house they built would have fallen down".