The last time we actually won a game when the Sky camera’s came watching was at The Valley last season, when Noel Hunt came off the bench to grab the winner in the 93rd minute and we went home with all three points against all the odds.
Since then of course our record in live television confrontations have been disappointing to say the least.
Perhaps the worst of all was earlier this season when we went to Reading with all guns firing, only to be humiliated and leave with nothing from a desperately disappointing 5-1 mauling!
Football however is full of amazing coincidences and quirks of fate and we can only hope that lightening strikes twice when we take on Charlton Athletic away this Saturday afternoon, in front of the analytical eye of Sky Sports One.
Fans from around the globe will be once again glued to their television sets in bars and restaurants, hoping for at the very least a good performance and better still, all three points again!
If we succeed it will be the fourth year on a row that we have been victorious at the Valley but I see it ending up as a draw myself.
Charlton have won back to back Championship games and they will be in the mood to cause us problems. Our defence is far from water-tight and although our attack is finally starting to show some promise again, much may depend on who we have in midfield?
Will manager Mick McCarthy look for a smash and grab raid, or be a bit more attack-minded given the amount of points we have dropped of late at home?
A win is what we need to get near those play-off places but the question is, will we be playing for one?
We are all too aware that our manager thinks a draw is always a worthwhile result on our travels but he may wish to revise this notion, in the light of five draws out of six at Portman Road?
David McGoldrick is still out with a groin strain and I would expect the gaffer to go with a side that is very similar in make-up from the one we have witnessed over the last few matches.
Ryan Fraser is making rapid progress apparently but he is not yet ready to rejoin the squad and nor sadly is Teddy Bishop.
The good news though is that there are no new injury concerns and I would think that he will play Pitman, Murphy and Sears up front once more and we can expect to see Kevin Bru, Jonathan Douglas and of course Cole Skuse occupying those midfield births.
The defence still more or less picks itself but I remain unconvinced about seeing Luke Chambers playing as a wing back and indeed Dean Gerken in goal but that is entirely a personal perspective of course.
There will be no Noel Hunt this time to grab an unlikely winner but Freddie Sears is certainly due a goal so here’s hoping folks!
Frank Weston Editor of Vital Ipswich
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