Town Travel To Cherries In Fine Fettle

In what has so far been another wonderful month for Ipswich Town football club, the blues travel to Bournemouth is good spirits, having won their last three Sky Bet Championship games and sitting proudly in fourth place in the table.

This away fixture will be anything but easy though, as The Cherries are second and in an automatic promotion place, just one point ahead of the blues.

Their goal difference is staggering and equal with leaders Derby on plus 17! Compare that to ours which is at plus 8 and you know we have our hands full!

Under Mick McCarthy and Terry Connor we have learned to be resilient and Town will go into this one believing they can get something from it. With McGoldrick and Murphy coming back from international duty unscathed the omens look good and in defence we are looking fairly solid at the moment it must be said.

Our manager has a few issues to sort out however – not least in the goalkeeping department, where stand-in keeper Bartosz Bialkowski has done little wrong in the three games he has played deputizing for the injured Dean Gerken, who is now fit again.

Conceding just one goal in three games is impressive but what might be even more of a persuasive argument for the manager is the fact that we have won all three of them as well!

It would be cruel on Bartosz if he missed out and I believe that Mick will retain his services for this one, if only to cement the belief that competition is good for the squad and to drop him now would be tantamount to a kick in the teeth.

Luke Hyam returns after his one match ban and Cole Skuse is also available again after injury, as is Teddy Bishop. On a personal note, I think that Mick McCarthy should continue with Stephen Hunt playing off the front two and playing Teddy Bishop and Luke Hyam. There surely has to be a place in the side for Kevin Bru too!

Cole Skuse is too like Hyam in my view and is even less of a goal threat if that is possible so I would let him bench warm at best.

Whilst Murphy and McGoldrick remain fit we are a real threat going forward but I am worried that if either of these players falls foul of injury, our attacking threat will be severely limited and that is why another good striker is still required if we are to maintain our position at the top end of the Championship.