Ipswich Town embarrassed Burnley on their last visit to Turf Moor in August 2008, but if one thing is for certain, the Clarets will not want to play the fools again this April.
Few could forget Town’s last visit to Turf Moor, when a Red Devils parachutist crash-landed onto the David Fishwick Stand before the match. That set the tone for what proved to be a comedy of errors for the Clarets as a bizarre Stephen Jordan own goal rounded off an easy 3-0 win for Jim Magilton’s Blues. Burnley had the last laugh though, going on to secure a shock promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs, whilst Town could only finish 9th.
Plenty has happened at both clubs since then. The departure of Owen Coyle proved a body blow for Burnley’s top flight survival, and when successor Brian Laws failed to convince that he was the man to take them straight back up, in stepped ex-Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe in January. Meanwhile at Portman Road, Magilton’s failure to meet expectations was followed by the forgettable (or perhaps unforgettable) 18-month tenure of Roy Keane, who was replaced by Paul Jewell in January. A new boss for each side then, though whether they’ll be the same as the old bosses remains to be seen.
On the pitch, the two have proven hard to separate over the years, with Clarke Carlisle’s last-minute equaliser at Portman Road in August making it 5 draws in their last 6 meetings. However, whilst Town trundle towards mid-table mediocrity once more, Burnley haven’t yet given up on an immediate return to the top flight, sitting just 3 points off the playoffs with a game in hand over most of their rivals. Even so, with the Blues’ Championship status already looking secure, the pressure will surely be on the Clarets on Saturday – they are the ones who have everything to lose. After the debacle of August 2008, they cannot afford to fool around again this April. After all, at this stage of the season, defeat is no laughing matter.
Vital Quotes:
With his international players barely having time to unpack their bags before the trip to Burnley, Ipswich Town manager Paul Jewell will be hoping his side have recovered sufficiently for what he expects to be a tough match at Turf Moor.
‘Some of the international dates seem bizarre,’ Jewell told the Club’s Official Website. ‘I can never work out why we have an international game right at the start of the season. You get the players back on the Friday, one day before your first game.
‘We will have a look at the players and we know it will be a difficult game for us at Burnley. They are in the playoff picture and have a game in hand.
‘Eddie Howe did a terrific job at Bournemouth. He goes about his job very quietly, very efficiently. They have a lot of good players, attacking players and they knock the ball around well so we know what’s ahead for us.’
Burnley Team News:
Burnley are without Town’s January transfer target Charlie Austin after the striker was ruled out for the rest of the season with a dislocated shoulder suffered in training back in March. Indeed, the Clarets are suffering from something of an injury crisis up front, with Martin Paterson out with a thigh injury and Stephen Thompson sidelined with a groin problem, meaning attacking responsibilities will fall to Chris Iwelumo, Jay Rodriguez or recent Ipswich loan target Nathan Delfouneso. Elsewhere loanee Jack Cork has had to return temporarily to parent club Chelsea after falling ill whilst on international duty with the England U21s, whilst Chris McCann is still some way short from a return to full fitness having been out for over a year with cruciate knee ligament damage.
Player to watch: Nathan Delfouneso
If it wasn’t bad enough that Eddie Howe was able to steal Charlie Austin from under Town’s noses, the Burnley boss added insult to injury by snapping up fellow frontman Nathan Delfouneso on loan from Aston Villa. The pacy young striker, whom Ipswich were also pursuing in March, has joined the Clarets until the end of the campaign and wasted no time in making his mark, scoring within 5 minutes of his debut to seal a 1-0 win at Hull City. The 20-year-old hasn’t netted for the Clarets since, but he did net for the England U21s in their 2-1 defeat against Iceland on Monday, and you wouldn’t put it past him to put one past us, just to rub our noses in it…!
Ipswich Town Team News:
Ipswich boss Paul Jewell will need to make decisions on the many players who have been away on international duty ahead of the trip to Burnley. Tamas Priskin is not among them having joined Swansea City on loan for the rest of the campaign, while fellow Hungarian Marton Fulop may be rested again with Arran Lee-Barrett retaining his place in goal. However, fellow keeper Brian Murphy could also be considered having recovered from a broken ankle he sustained over Christmas. Jewell will also need to pass judgment on defenders Damien Delaney, Gareth McAuley and Darren O’Dea who were all away in the past fortnight. Meanwhile Kieron Dyer could be set to return to the starting lineup having been out with a thigh injury, with Lee Martin suspended for two games after picking up his tenth booking of the season in Town’s last match against Scunthorpe United.
Player to watch: Josh Carson
With Ipswich probably already safe in the Championship for another season, Paul Jewell might be increasingly tempted to try out a few of his younger players during the run-in. That’s exactly what happened in the Blues’ last outing when Josh Carson was handed his first professional start on the left of midfield against Scunthorpe United. Jewell has suggested that the 17-year-old midfielder, who is a couple of months younger than Connor Wickham, could be set to link up with the striker in a supporting role over the next few weeks, comprising a very youthful-looking attacking line for the Blues. As a youth international himself with the Northern Ireland U17s, Carson will surely look to follow Wickham’s example if he is given the chance to prove himself in the first team between now and the end of the season. Definitely worth a watch if he is involved at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Last Meeting
FLC – (3rd) Ipswich 1-1 Burnley (11th)
14 August 2010
(Click here for Match Report)
Goalscorers
Ipswich: Norris 86
Burnley: Carlisle 90+2
Teams:
Ipswich: Fulop, O’Connor, McAuley, Smith, Peters, Hyam, Norris, Leadbitter (Healy 46), Townsend (Murray 72), Stead, Priskin
Burnley: Jensen, Alexander, Fox, Carlisle, Edgar (s/o 78), Bikey, Marney, Elliott, Wallace, Iwelumo (Thompson 74), Paterson (Eagles 67)
Match Prediction:
I remember watching us against Burnley at Portman Road in August, and even as David Norris was flicking in that cheeky backheel, I felt we hadn’t deserved a victory. Sure enough, we were denied anyway, and I’m not exactly hopeful of us doing any better at Turf Moor. Burnley have proven tough to beat at home and should know that they have an excellent chance to snatch a playoff place. As such, I think a sense of urgency will win the day for them this time, though admittedly, pressure can do funny things.
Prediction: Our season’s petering out – let’s just hope we’ll be the ones with something good left to play for by this time next season. Burnley 2-0 Ipswich.
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Next Fixtures:
09/04 FLC Crystal Palace (H)
12/04 FLC Middlesbrough (H)
16/04 FLC Bristol City (A)
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