The Blues will be victorious tomorrow, and I will put money on the outcome! It is another head rules the heart wager, and here are the reasons why. Manager Paul Lambert will reintroduce Luke Matheson and Myles Kenlock to their wingback roles, at the expense of Luke Chambers and Stephen Ward. The reason we lost in midweek against Peterborough was that we lacked any pace down the flanks. Lambert has already said as much by inferring that his two 35 year-olds are showing their age. “Wardy and Luke have done really well for us, and I knew the pitch at Peterborough would be bruising. But they’re 35, and it’s hard for them at full-back. The two younger ones did great for us against Blackpool, so we’ll see how they both are.”
Then we have a striker who is eager to get his first goal in a Town shirt. Troy Parrott came agonisingly close in the latter stages against Peterborough. Had it not been for a brilliant reflex save from the Posh keeper in the closing stages against Peterborough, he would have already been celebrating it! He explained his desire. “I’ve only just turned 19, so I hope I’m up to the workload. I would expect to be able to cope with it, and as far as I’m concerned I don’t just want to play in every game, I want to play every minute of every game. That will be my aim going forward.”
He has the right attitude to progress and score goals. Working with Harry Kane has obviously helped his development, and if James Norwood is passed fit, then I see them working effectively in tandem tomorrow afternoon. They work very well off each other – although the partnership is still in its infancy. Parrott said on the subject this. ” James knows where the net is and you saw that in the early part of the game at Peterborough when he got one chance and put it away. I enjoyed the half I had with him, making movements off him. We hadn’t had a great deal of time working on things in training but the partnership seemed to work.” It did indeed, and since then, they have probably had more time working on things.
Manager Paul Lambert means business and knows that if Ipswich are to make the play-off’s – or better still an automatic promotion spot, then they have to string a series of wins together. ” We’ve got just under half the season to go, so we have to make a run for it. We’re in the mix to get in the play-off’s, that’s for sure! And if we can go and do what we’ve done against Blackpool and others, then let’s see what happens.”
I expect Tomay Holy to retain his place in goal, and the centre-back pairing of Mark McGuinness and our own Luke Woolfenden is set to continue as well. The midfield will probably consist of Flynn Downes playing a bit deeper, and Andre Dozzell pushing further forward again. I would like to see Josh Harrop filling in the other midfield role in place of Alan Judge, who could be assigned to bench-warming duties tomorrow.
Freddie Sears might get a look in from the start as well – or he could play Gwion Edwards. Luke Thomas has not done enough yet to justify a place in the side from the outset.