Preview: Blades – Town

By Aston
September 9 2005

Team news and more ahead Town’s Championship game against table topping Sheffield United tomorrow.

Town are without midfield duo Ian Westlake and Jimmy Juan, Westlake has an ankle injury and Juan has been with drawn from the squad with a foot injury. Jason De Vos in the squad after recovering from cracked ribs, Richard Naylor is back following a one game ban and James McEveley has joined on-loan from Blackburn.

 

Town manager Joe Royle: “We are stronger now at the back with Jason fit again and Jay arriving and it's going to be a difficult decision but one I welcome, against Preston we didn't defend well but there were extenuating circumstances for that and generally I have been happy with the way we have defended this season.”

 

Neil Warnock will be without striker Danny Webber who has a calf strain and Paul Shaw is a doubt after picking up an Achilles injury.

 

Blades manager Neil Warnock: “I think they have been very fortunate against us recently, especially at Bramall Lane. Last year only the goalkeeping of Kelvin Davis kept them in it and, to be honest, I am more relieved that he has left them than Kuqi and Bent!

 

“There are three things I intend to go through with them before the match to make sure they are mentally right for this one.

 

“Firstly, Ipswich were hammered in their last outing and will be hurting, secondly we won comfortably which could breed complacency, and lastly my Coca Cola Manager of the Month Award for August is a notorious banana-skin.”

 

Town Squad: Town squad: Dean Bowditch, Darren Currie, Jason De Vos, Owen Garvan, Kevin Horlock, Jimmy Juan, Jim Magilton, James McEveley, Dean McDonald, Richard Naylor, Sam Parkin, Jaime Peters, Lewis Price, Matt Richards, Louis Sito Castro, Shane Supple, Fabian Wilnis.

 

Match odds from Coral.

 

Sheffield United: 4/5

Draw: 9/4

Ipswich 11/4

 

 

 

Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)

Assistant Referees: Andy Halliday (Yorkshire) and Mark Warren (W Midlands)

Fourth Official: Karl Evans (Gtr Manchester)

 

Sources: Ipswich Town, Sheffield United and the football league – the official websites.