Luke Chambers Back Where He Belongs!

This has not been because of a change of strategy on the part of our stubborn old manager but more to do with when needs must.

McCarthy is without Adam Webster and Tommy Smith in central defensive positions through injury and has therefore called on captain Luke Chambers to resume his former role at the heart of the defence.

Mick McCarthy has confirmed that 19 year old Josh Emmanuel will be at right-back and maybe we will witness a wing-back worthy of the name!

Emmanuel has been unlucky not to get more games in the first team but our manager is not for changing a winning – or indeed losing team when it comes to a defensive reshuffles – unless of course it is forced upon him, which it is this evening.

If it had not been for injury I am quite sure that Dean Gerken would still in goal – such is the nature of Mick The Man.

As for our midfield, then we can expect Cole Skuse to be there along I would suspect with Jonathan Douglas and perhaps Grant Ward, who has recovered thankfully from his injury against Leeds.

Up front Leon Best gets his chance to debut at Portman Road but once again it is only because of injuries to our regular strike force; with Brett Pitman likely to be out until after the international break and David McGoldrick out for a lot longer.

Brighton will be without midfielder Beram Kayal with an ankle injury and this will be only the fifth time in 56 Championship matches that he has not featured for the Seagulls.

Chris Houghton is a good manager and he is on the lookout for another away victory although it must be noted, Brighton have kept just one clean sheet in their last 30 league visits to Portman Road and that was a 3-0 win in January 2013.

The blues have won four of their last six encounters with our visitors so this might just be a lucky omen?

And The Seagulls will be without suspended left-back Gaetan Bong as they chase a fourth successive league win.

Also missing tonight are former Town loanee Liam Rosenior and Kazenga LuaLua but they do have a strong squad and with Town’s long injury injury the international break cannot come quick enough for both managers I would have thought.

Frank Weston – Editor of Vital Ipswich