Doncaster v Ipswich - Round Two - Vital Ipswich Town

Less than a month after Ipswich Town and Doncaster Rovers played out a cracker at Portman Road, the Blues now make their rearranged Christmas trip to the Keepmoat Stadium on Tuesday.

It was the visit of Doncaster on 22 January that first set Ipswich on their winning run under new boss Paul Jewell, coming back from behind to edge a 5 goal thriller 3-2. That was the kind of match that brought back memories of the Joe Royle days, and the Blues have since enjoyed a run of form that wouldn’t have been out of place in those promotion-chasing days. Two more wins followed to lift the pressure and despite the disappointment of conceding a last-gasp equaliser at Barnsley, Town will still be hopeful of picking up all three points on their second Yorkshire outing in a week.

While 2011 has seen a rejuvenated Ipswich, Doncaster have been dire. Back in late December – when this match should have been played but for a frozen pitch at the Keepmoat – Rovers sat in 12th just 4 points off the playoffs with two games in hand on the team in sixth. Since then however, their slump after the turn of the year has been almost as bad as Town’s slump before it. Since beating Scunthorpe on New Years Day, Sean O’Driscoll’s side have picked up just 4 points from 8 matches, and their one win in that time against Burnley was gifted to them by an own goal. Indeed, that is the only goal Doncaster have registered in 4 matches since their trip to Portman Road – a run that now puts them one place below the Blues in the table.

Even so, Rovers showed on that day in Suffolk that they can still put up a tough fight. As the two teams prepare for Round Two on Tuesday therefore, who will deliver the knockout blow?

Vital Quotes:

Ipswich Town striker Tamas Priskin has expressed his disappointment about the match at Barnsley on Saturday, but the Hungarian believes that he and his team-mates have the confidence to maintain their recent good form.

‘We have confidence now,’ Priskin told the East Anglian press. ‘We are unbeaten in four games, and we are confident we can go up the table.’

‘It was just very disappointing not to hold on for this win. It was a hard game for us, especially away from home and in these conditions.’

‘We will keep going, and picking up the results. We have another game on Tuesday (at Doncaster), so there is not much time to recover.’

Better get used to it, boys – it’s the same again next week!

Doncaster Rovers Team News:

Doncaster Rovers manager Sean O’Driscoll has revealed that on-loan Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Ryan Mason is a doubt for Tuesday’s match with a tight hamstring. The hosts will certainly be without defenders Wayne Thomas and Martin Woods who are gradually making their way back from spells out with injury, as is midfielder Simon Gillett. Mark Wilson and Joe Mills may get an opportunity to feature having been on the bench for the 2-0 defeat to Portsmouth on Saturday, whilst James Coppinger and Matt Kilgallon should be fit having returned from injury in that match.

Player to watch: Billy Sharp

He scored twice in the last meeting at Portman Road, and striker Billy Sharp is likely to remain the biggest threat to the Ipswich defence on Tuesday. The former Sheffield United striker has not scored since that match, but then again, no Rovers player has since then, and with twelve league goals this campaign since joining from the Blades, Donny’s record signing is surely the most likely man to break his team’s drought.

Ipswich Town Team News:

Ipswich Town captain David Norris looks set to miss out on the trip to Doncaster having been taken off within 15 minutes at Barnsley on Saturday after twisting both his knee and ankle. Colin Healy, who replaced Norris at Oakwell, is therefore likely to come into the starting lineup, whilst Grant Leadbitter could continue as skipper having taken the armband on Saturday. Blues boss Paul Jewell has suggested that Swansea City target Jason Scotland may be given a start after the striker netted as a substitute against Barnsley, possibly in place of Tamas Priskin. Meanwhile Ronan Murray is back fit having taken a knock in a reserves match last week, though Alan Quinn and Brian Murphy are both still out until next month at the earliest.

Player to watch: Jason Scotland

So he can score away from Portman Road! It took over five months, but Ipswich striker Jason Scotland finally netted his first away goal of the season at Barnsley on Saturday. That goal could earn the Trinidadian a fresh run in the first team, which if so could give him a great opportunity to extend his tally of eight league goals this season. With David Norris out injured, 31-year-old Scotland could overtake the skipper and regain his outright place as Town’s top scorer in all competitions if he can find a brace at the Keepmoat. Surely if he does, Paul Jewell will be issuing a ‘hands-off’ warning to Swansea City!

Last Meeting

FLC – (20th) Ipswich 3-2 Doncaster (15th)
22 January 2011

(Click here for Match Report)

Goalscorers
Ipswich: Norris 48, Wickham 60, Edwards 64
Doncaster: Sharp 6, 61

Teams:
Ipswich: Fulop, McAuley, Delaney, O’Dea, Leadbitter, Edwards, Norris, Martin, Healy, Wickham, Priskin

Doncaster: Sullivan, J O’Connor, Chambers (Fairhurst 89), Lockwood, Kilgallon, Wilson (Hird 90+3), Oster, Shiels (Mason 87), Coppinger, Sharp, Hayter

Match Prediction:

Ipswich in good form, Doncaster in bad form – only one winner? Think again; this is the Championship after all. If there’s anything recent matches between these teams do suggest, we could be in for another goalfest. We edged it at Portman Road but it could be tough to repeat that feat at the Keepmoat, as we found out when we were 3-2 up there last season only to conceded a late equaliser.

As much as we have been revitalised under Paul Jewell, I will still take some convincing that our recent run hasn’t just been a honeymoon period. Perhaps having taken a bit of a blow on Saturday, this trip could prove a key test for Jewell’s management skills. Not that I don’t believe in him, but I still think this team has some way to go before we can enjoy any miraculous improvement.

Prediction: Revenge for the Rovers. Doncaster 2-1 Ipswich.