Preview: Brighton

By Aston
November 27 2004

Ipswich Town will be hoping to return to winning ways after Sundays defeat and possibly go top of the Championship by beating Brighton.

Preview: Brighton

Ipswich Town will be hoping to return to winning ways after Sundays defeat and possibly go top of the Championship by beating Brighton.

Town manager Joe Royle had two injury doubts at the start of the week, one over Tommy Miller who missed the trip to Sunderland with an elbow injury and Dean Bowditch who picked up an ankle problem during Sundays 2-0 reverse at the Stadium of Light but both have been included in the squad, young striker Darryl Knights has been dropped Irish midfielder Owen Garvan has replace him in the squad.

Town manager Joe Royle says Town respect Brighton because of their fine away record, saying: “We will respect them as they have an excellent away record. We have been strong at home and we will be going for them.

“We will be looking to win the game but most of all put a performance together, which we didn't do at Sunderland.”

Brighton manager Mark McGhee will be with out the services of leading scorer Adam Virgo who is serving a three match ban for being sent off against West Ham but McGhee does have three other options to replace the central defender/ forward, Leon Knight, Darren Currie and Steve Claridge all fit and available and captain Danny Cullip is available after suspension.

Brighton Boss McGhee has said: “I've got no fears. We will give a good account of ourselves at Ipswich.

“We are a not a free-scoring team and have to work hard to get a goal, so if we lose a goal early we are really up against it.

“We don't look like a team at the moment who are going to score two or three goals.

“We have got to rely on the little bit of fortune we had at West Ham for the first 20 minutes, defend well and work hard. I know our shortcomings, but I am still going into this game thinking we can win.

“There are times in your career as a manager when you are wondering how you can win a game, but I don't feel like that at all, I feel quite upbeat about our chances.”

Ipswich Town Squad: Kelvin Davis, Drissa Diallo, Jason De Vos, Richard Naylor, Fabian Wilnis, Tommy Miller, Jim Magilton, Kevin Horlock, Ian Westlake, Shefki Kuqi, Darren Bent, Matt Richards, Owen Garvan, Dean Bowditch, Pablo Couñago, Shane Supple.

Expected Brighton Squad: Kuipers, Reid, Cullip, Hinshelwood, Butters, Harding, Carpenter, Nicolas, Oatway, Currie, Knight, Claridge, Robinson, Mayo, Hart, Jones, Hammond, El-Abd, Roberts.

Talk about Town on our message board.