Preview: Town – Crewe

By Aston
September 30 2005

Team news, manager previews and betting odds ahead of Towns championship game against Crewe on Saturday.

Nicky Forster returns to the squad meaning Town manager Joe Royle is missing just one player from his senior squad, midfielder Ian Westlake who is expected to be out until Christmas.    

 

Town manager Joe Royle: “We are going into it after taking three points from two away games. We could have drawn them both and taken just two points.

 

“Now, if we can beat Crewe, it will be six points out of nine and that won't be bad.

 

“But I'm a great admirer of Crewe and what they do there. They're a bit more direct than in bygone years, but they won't come down here to shut up shop.

 

“They have good footballers like Kenny Lunt and David Vaughan, and we need to carry more of a goal threat if we're going to get a win.

 

“Burnley couldn't get the ball off us in the first half on Tuesday, but the problem was that we never looked as if we would score.

 

“That's what we will be looking to change on Saturday. We must be more menacing in front of goal.”

 

Town Squad: Dean Bowditch, Darren Currie, Jason De Vos, Nicky Forster, Owen Garvan, Kevin Horlock, Jimmy Juan, Jim Magilton, Dean McDonald, Jay McEveley, Richard Naylor, Sam Parkin, Lewis Price, Luis Sito-Castro, Shane Supple, Fabian Wilnis.

 

Crewe manager Dario Gradi has a question mark by the name of Anthony Tonkin who is currently rated as 50/50 to play tomorrow, if he doesn’t play younger Paul Bignot looks likely to replace him. Young goalkeeper Ross Turnball is ruled out with a knee injury.

 

Crewe boss Dario Gradi: “Ipswich have lost a host of their better players in the summer but that was inevitable after they lost out in the play-offs. When you use to look at their side the likes of Bent, Kuqi and Miller would always concern you and that is why they are now playing in the Premiership.

 

“Joe has had to rebuild his team a bit in the summer but he still has some good players. We know it will be another difficult game away from home because they will be expecting to win it.

 

“We enjoy going to this stadiums and test ourselves against these bigger clubs. We enjoy it and relish playing on a super pitch with a great atmosphere. We have been on the end of a couple of heavy defeats there but had some joy in the past two.”

 

The last two games at Portman Road between Town and Crewe have created 16 goals, and with both sides suffering heavy defeats in midweek, Town losing 3-0 at Burnley and Crewe being beaten 4-0 by Wolves at home tomorrow’s game is shaping up to be a real goal fest, so will probably end 0-0.  

 

Officials:

Referee: Clive Penton (Sussex)

Assistant Referees: Fred Graham (Essex) and John Pearce (Norfolk)

Fourth Official: Chris Francis (Cambridgeshire)

 

Match odds from Coral:

Ipswich: 8/13

Draw: 5/2

Crewe: 7/2

0-0: 9/1

 

 

Sources: Evening Star and Crewealex.net

 

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