Preview: Burnley - Town

By Aston
November 3 2006

STB brings you team news, manager previews and betting odds ahead of Towns game against Burnley tomorrow (KO 3:00pm).

Burnley defender Wayne Thomas will face a late fitness test, Garreth O’Connor and Gifton Noel-Williams are back in contention for places in the Burnley line-up after recovering from flu. Former Town defender John McGreal is out with a knee injury.

 

Burnley boss Steve Cotterill: “Ipswich have had a decent start. They have had a couple of good results recently and we will be looking forwards to the game. Jim Magilton was such an icon at Ipswich it probably helped him to get the job. For your first job to be manager of Ipswich Town is a wonderful achievement and good luck to him, it has been a tough week, both physically and mentally and if we can finish it off on Saturday night with a good win it will have been a terrific week for us.

 

“It is important to focus on performances because you can't focus on winning. If you try to do that a refereeing decision can go against you.”

 

Town could be without Billy Clarke who has a knee injury Darryl Knights has been called into the squad to cover for him should he not pass fit. Jon Macken, Gavin Williams and Owen Garvan are out with injuries while Fabian Wilnis is suspended after his red card against Plymouth in mid-week. With Wilnis being out it looks like Alex Bruce will be the right back with Richard Naylor joining Jason De Vos in the heart of the defence.

 

Town squad: Barron, Bruce, Clarke, Currie, De Vos, Drobny, Harding, Haynes, Knights, Lee, Legwinski, Naylor, Noble, Peters, Richards, Roberts, Sito Castro, Supple, Walton.

 

Town manager Jim Magilton: “There may be a few tired bodies and I would like to rest one or two. I will ask them and, even though payers do tell lies about fitness and tiredness - just as I did as a player - I'm hoping for a degree of honesty.

 

“Fresh legs may help us in this situation. The lads worked their socks off on Tuesday and it was hard after Sunday, when everyone had Sol Davis in their thoughts.

 

“We can play a lot better and we need to play with more quality. Once we got the goal, we allowed them to push us onto the back foot.

 

“We need to be positive at all times and, when we have been positive, we have had good results. QPR, Birmingham for example, so we need to do the same at Burnley.”

 

Betting Odds (found using Sportsnetwork Odds Checker):

Burnley: 19/20

Draw: 23/10

Town: 3/1

 

Officials:

Referee: J P Robinson

Assistants: D K Benton and P E Curry

Fourth Official: P Bramley

 

Sources: EADT and Burnley FC – the official website

 

Talk about Town on our Message Board.