George Hirst’s 90+5th minute penalty meant that the spoils were shared in a 1-1 draw at St. Andrews.
Birmingham City looked destined for three points on their return to the league, with Jay Stansfield opening the scoring in the second half.
However, a controversial late penalty was awarded for handball by substitute Lyndon Dykes, and was calmly dispatched by Hirst to secure a point for the visitors, Ipswich Town.
The first talking point of the game was also a topic of debate, with forward Kyogo Furuhashi adjudged to have fouled Jacob Greaves before looping the ball over Alex Palmer, much to the dismay of the home supporters.
Just before the half-hour mark, Birmingham goalkeeper Ryan Allsop gifted the ball to Sammie Szmodics, but he was only able to fire wide.
The deadlock was broken in the 55th minute as Furuhashi once again lifted the ball over Palmer. His effort struck the post; however, Stansfield was on-task to fire the rebound into the roof of the net.
Into added time, substitute and new signing Ashley Young swung a corner deep into the penalty area, which was met by the head of Greaves. The ball then struck the hand of Dykes, and referee Andrew Kitchen pointed to the spot.
Hirst stepped up and kept his cool under pressure, sending Allsop the wrong way and giving his side a valuable point to open their campaign.
What ensued after were unsavoury scenes, as Ipswich’s Conor Chaplin kicked the ball into the Birmingham fans, causing a scuffle on the pitch between himself and Christoph Klarer.
Even worse, it appeared that a Birmingham fan attempted to strike an Ipswich player as tempers flared.
If this game is anything to go by, we are in for another season of high Championship drama.
Written by Callum Pawley
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