 Ipswich's form had stuttered through to the end of December, however they started the new year with a 1–0 home win over Birmingham City at Portman Road, with Gavin Williams netting the winning goal in the 90th minute.Ipswich were drawn away to Chester City in the FA Cup third round on 6 January.The first tie ended in a 0–0 draw, resulting in a replay scheduled for the 16 January, which Ipswich won 1–0, with Matt Richards scoring the winning goal.