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Ipswich v Brighton: Movin’ On Up

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Ipswich Town are steadily climbing the Championship table, but now they come up against a Brighton & Hove Albion side that can’t stop moving on up.

Vital Preview:


After stuttering through the first month of the new season, Ipswich Town are now enjoying some upward momentum after picking up 7 points and three clean sheets from their last three matches. Tuesday night’s 1-0 win at title favourites West Ham United was a particularly impressive result for Paul Jewell’s Blues, and having moved to within three points of those coveted playoff spots, another victory this weekend could put Town right in the mix with the promotion pace-setters.

Saturday’s opponents will know all about looking up though. Around this time last year, Gus Poyet’s team hit the top of the League One table, and they never looked back. A stunning run of 12 wins from 14 matches secured them the title in April before they cast aside dark memories of the wet and windy Withdean to move into their brand new Amex Stadium over the summer.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Seagulls have sought to continue their rise this season towards the Premier League, hitting the top of the Championship by the end of August. Some shaky September form has seen them slip back into the playoff spots, but the signs are still promising.

It is a far cry then from the last time these two teams met. That was back in April 2006, when Brighton – two days before slipping through the trapdoor to the third tier – were condemning mid-table Ipswich to a third straight defeat during a dismal run-in which ultimately cost Joe Royle his job. Coincidentally, that was also Albion’s last visit to Portman Road, and while this clash may not be quite so crucial, it could play a part in determining which of these two sides has what it takes to keep movin’ on up this season.

Ipswich Town Team News:


Daryl Murphy is still a doubt for Ipswich after he suffered a hamstring injury in the warmup prior to Town’s 1-0 win over West Ham United on Tuesday, so Nathan Ellington could keep his place on the bench.

Lee Martin is understood to have recovered from tonsilitis but is now suffering from an eye problem and looks set to stay on the sidelines. Mark Kennedy however is bidding for a return after recovering from a calf injury.

Manager Paul Jewell will also need to decide whether to hand new arrival Reece Wabara his debut after the youngster signed on loan from Manchester City on Friday. However, he is more likely to start on the bench, with Carlos Edwards set to remain in what could be an unchanged Blues lineup for the fourth match in a row.

Player to watch: Carlos Edwards


He continues to divide opinion, but recent games have shown why Carlos Edwards is still a fixture in the Ipswich first team.

Despite Paul Jewell’s ongoing hunt for competition at right-back – aided by the arrival of Manchester City loanee Reece Wabara on Friday – Edwards remains Town’s first choice for this position. Controversial as that strategy has proven to be, it does have its merits.

Edwards has played his part in Town’s recent hat-trick of clean sheets, but his attack-minded approach continues to shine through with his charges down the wing and occasional long-range drives; something he showed again at West Ham in midweek. The debates will continue, but for now, the Trinidadian is a key figure at both front and back for the Blues.

Brighton & Hove Albion Team News:


Brighton will be without summer acquisition Will Buckley against Ipswich after the former Watford youngster sustained a hamstring injury in the Carling Cup defeat to Liverpool.

Also sidelined for the trip to Portman Road are defensive duo Tommy Elphick and Adam El-Abd. Elphick has an Achilles problem whilst El-Abd is out with a foot injury.

Fellow defender Lewis Dunk is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in the Seagulls’ defeat to Crystal Palace in midweek, meaning Gus Poyet will need to choose between Romain Vincelot and Steve Cook to line up with captain Gordon Greer at centre-back.

Player to watch: Craig Mackail-Smith


One thing that any newly-promoted team will need to succeed in the Championship is a proven goalscorer, and in Craig Mackail-Smith, Brighton certainly have one.

Despite reported Premier League interest as well as a bid from big-spending Leicester City, Mackail-Smith opted to move south to the Amex Stadium in July after four-and-a-half highly successful years at Peterborough United, where he netted 83 league goals in 188 appearances.

Investing £2.5 million for his services, Brighton were obviously hopeful of seeing Mackail-Smith maintain his scoring form, and he hasn’t disappointed. The 27-year-old is currently Albion’s top scorer with 5 league goals in 9 appearances – including three in their last two games – as well as claiming 3 assists. Definitely a man in form, and clearly one to watch out for.

Last Meeting:


FLC – (13th) Ipswich 1-2 Brighton (24th)
15 April 2006

Goalscorers:
Ipswich: Forster 90
Brighton: Noel-Williams 45, Lynch 73

Teams:
Ipswich: Supple, Wilnis, De Vos, Naylor (Casement 37), Barron, Currie, Juan (Forster 61), Garvan, Richards, Haynes, Lee

Brighton: Henderson, Hart, Butters, McShane, Lynch, Reid (El-Abd 74), Hammond, Carpenter, Mayo, Kazim-Richards (Carole 88), Noel-Williams (Gatting 83)

Match Prediction:


This is the last match I will be covering as Vital Ipswich editor, so I’m hoping to sign off with a good result for the Blues.

Brighton have had a cracking start to the season and have probably been underestimated by a number of people – including myself – and with some of the talent they have such as Craig Mackail-Smith, I’d be very surprised if we could make it four clean sheets in a row.

Having said that, such is the form Town are in and the confidence they seem to have lately, I’m still tipping us to pick up all three points here. It’ll be a tough one, but with a couple of wins in our last two games at Portman Road, I think home advantage might help us edge this one. It would be good to see us go into the international break with a win – and it’d be nice for me to write about one in my final report!

Editor’s Prediction: Ipswich 2-1 Brighton

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Next Fixtures:


15/10/2011 FLC Cardiff City (A)

18/10/2011 FLC Portsmouth (H)

22/10/2011 FLC Crystal Palace (H)


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