A big welcome to you all and to our visitors from Hull City for this afternoon's crackerjack finale to the League programme.

Our eyes are focused firmly on gaining the result we need to make the Play-Offs if others slip up - meanwhile, Hull will be dreaming of even bigger things were they to get a result and Stoke slip up.

Ifs, buts and maybes are very much the order of the day, not just for us, but for many clubs' supporters as the season builds to one of the most exciting crescendos I can remember.

Happy memories
Watching a pulsating end to the Chelsea v Liverpool game this week, I am sure Town fans will have been tempted to reminisce about our own UEFA Cup trip to Moscow and the Luzhniki Stadium in 2001, where Chelsea and Manchester United will now contest the Champions' League Final. Surely they can't have as much as fun as we all did in Red Square!

We will celebrate another, even greater, epic part of our history tomorrow as the borough of Ipswich salutes the boys of `78 - our FA Cup-winning heroes - with an open-top bus celebration around the town at 5pm and a civic reception at the Town Hall at 6.00pm. I am sure many of you will turn out to cheer them along the way.

It is most fitting, therefore, that we extend the warmest of welcomes this afternoon to our most cherished of Ipswich Town heroes, our Club President, Sir Bobby Robson, and his wife, Lady Elsie.

We are thrilled that they can join us today and hope that Sir Bobby's presence will inspire Jim and his players to the result that we all crave this afternoon.

One or two of that team are also hoping to be here, including the Scotland manager, George Burley. A warm welcome to you as well, George.
I
t has been announced that Sir Bobby is to be granted the freedom of the town on Monday and rarely can that honour have been so richly deserved. Sir Bobby, we salute you - as, indeed, we do for every one of your players who lifted the FA Cup so triumphantly in 1978.

It is a token of our enormous regard for his achievement that, following the erection of his statue in Portman Road some years ago, we are re-naming the Galleria restaurant in the Greene King Stand to be the Sir Bobby Robson Suite in a private ceremony tomorrow afternoon.

Today, I would like to give a quick plug for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation for Cancer Care Research in Newcastle. It is a wonderful initiative and donations can be made to: Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, PO Box 307, Heaton, NE7 7QG.

Medal for the Beat
There is another award to tell you about for one of our heroes. Kevin Beattie will be awarded a UEFA Cup medal, as an injured member of that squad (remember his injury at the FA Cup Semi-Final defeat by Manchester City at Villa Park). He will collect his medal personally from Michel Platini, the UEFA President, before the UEFA Cup Final in Manchester in 10 days' time. Well done Kevin _ we are all delighted for you.

Plaudits all round
While speaking of awards, congratulations to Jon Walters on picking up both the boxholders' and sponsors' player of the year, and the coveted players' player of the year award from his team-mates.

Well done as well to Danny Haynes for scooping the John Kerridge Trophy for the most improved young player and to Jordan Rhodes for being nominated the Harold Smith Academy player of the year. They were presented with their cups at a sell-out dinner at Trinity Park last week.

To wrap up the awards for this year, all eyes will be on who will win the supporters' player of the year, due to be announced at their annual function tonight.

We must also congratulate the Suffolk youth team for winning the FA County Youth Cup at Portman Road two weeks ago _ and wish Lowestoft well in the FA Vase Final at Wembley on 11 May.

Moving forward
So "Que sera sera - whatever will be, will be..." are the words hovering around my head as I pen this (hopefully not last) column of the season.

To be in with a chance, you do everything possible to grab it and I am sure both managers will have their players in the mood.

Well done to Hull for a fine season so far _ however, without taking anything away from them, they have achieved what they have following a full season of benefitting from very substantial new investment in the club. In contrast, Marcus Evans only arrived at Christmas and much of what Jim Magilton has achieved to date has been organic, on the training field, from internally-generated resources.

So, whatever happens today, I hope supporters will show their huge appreciation of what he has done so far, together with our staff and players. There has been a tremendous improvement for all to see. With Marcus' welcome support for the Club set to materialise further for fans in the summer, with yet more signings planned, I am quite sure that the future for Ipswich Town is a bright one.

I would like to close this column with a `well done' to Derek Bowden and all the off-field staff who continue to set high standards ... to Terry Baxter and the Community Trust staff who continue to undertake such important projects that give something back to the community ... and to Tony Humes and the Academy, who enjoyed another fine night in the U16s match with Manchester United, going to extra-time before losing out on penalties ... next year we must beat them!

And finally ... most of all, huge thanks to you, the best fans ... of the best club ... in the world!

Away from home, you endured a hard few months, but latterly, it's been much better - and here at Portman Road you have helped Jim and the boys turn it into a real fortress!

What an atmosphere against Norwich the other day ... another big crowd today - let's do it again!