Preview: Town – Doncaster


By Aston
April 16 2010

Town take on Doncaster Rovers at Portman Road tomorrow afternoon, with neither club playing for anything but pride.

Town manager Roy Keane will have to make at least three changes from the side that lost to Nottingham Forest, Damien Delaney has an ankle injury, David Healy has a knee injury and Carlos Edwards has chicken pox.

Keane: "We've got our fair share of injuries at the moment so there is a chance we might bring in one or two of the younger players, three or four of them have been training with the main group and they've done well and bringing in young players can benefit the squad at this time of the year. They can provide a freshness and will be full of energy.

"Our priority is on winning games though. We want to finish the season giving our fans something to shout about before the summer.

"Both sides should be fairly relaxed and that might help the game, it was a cracking match up there for the neutral - not for us having given away some bad goals but that was where we were at that time.

"Doncaster have got some very good players and a very good manager and they liked to pass the ball around. Their players look comfortable in possession and they like to express themselves so it has all the ingredients of being a cracking game."

Doncaster will be missing top goalscorer Billy Sharp, Martin Woods and Brian Stock will join Sharp on the sidelines.

Doncaster manager Sean O'Driscoll: "Somebody said to me that we are side-by-side in the league and I suppose that is an achievement, in some senses, because Ipswich Town are a well-established club, over the years they have been well run and we are now neck-and-neck, so from that point of view - in our second season in The Championship, to be batting at the same level as an Ipswich Town team, we can give ourselves a pat on the back for that.

"I saw Ipswich Town in their second game of the season and you thought - with what they had on the day - they would be contenders; it's just not quite happened. There has appeared to be quite a big turnaround in staff and players and, again, you need stability to create anything. Credit to them, they have come through quite a difficult time for them with what they have got and you can see them building for next season. If Roy sticks with the players that he feels can get them out of that division, again you wouldn't bet against them being one of the teams next season with a great chance of getting back into the Premier League.

"On paper, they have some really good players and are as strong as anybody. Roy has been able to get into the transfer market and use loan signings and the people that he had at Sunderland have played a big part."

Got a prediction for the game? Leave it below.


Preview: Town – Doncaster
Posted by: Singing The Blues (IP Logged)
Date: 16/04/2010 21:31

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