Preview: Norwich

By Aston
February 4 2006

STB brings you team news, manager previews, betting odds and the officials ahead of Towns game against Norwich City tomorrow (KO 11:15am).

Town have three players doubtful with the flu: Shane Supple, Adam Proudlock and Vemund Skard, while Gavin Williams is a doubt with a jarred knee and Jimmy Juan his a minor heel injury.

 

Town manager Joe Royle: “Earnshaw is a proven goal scorer at this level and he is a player that I would like to have here, he scored a bundle of goals with Cardiff, is an international and certainly sharp around the box.

 

“They will be parading their new players, Norwich, and the pressure is probably slightly more on them as the home side to get the three points.

 

“I had them down as one of the clubs likely to go up at the start of the season but for whatever reasons that has not materialized.

 

“It's a local derby so there is pressure on us as well of course to avenge the defeat at Portman Road. A defeat we didn't deserve and a red card that we didn't deserve either with Sito's sending-off. It was later rescinded but the damage was done by then.

“But we go into the game in confident mood and in good form. I say good rather than great form because we have drawn games against Leeds and Sheffield United that we did enough to win and winning is what counts.

 

“But we are moving forward all the time. It has taken us a while to get to this stage and when you look at it we have basically built two teams this season with the likes of Scott Barron, Danny Haynes, Alan Lee and Gavin Williams coming in lately and Owen Garvan becoming a regular in the side.

 

“We started off with Nicky Forster and Sam Parkin up front at the start of the season and they were going to be our forward players but because of injury, they have played just a handful of games together.

 

“It's that goalscoring power that we have lacked - and perhaps a little luck as well - but Alan Lee has come in and we are now a more potent threat.

 

“We are still light up front in numbers at the moment but all over the rest of the park we have competition for places and that is what we have needed.”

 

Town Squad: Scott Barron, Darren Currie, Jason De Vos, Owen Garvan, Danny Haynes, Jimmy Juan, Alan Lee, Jim Magilton, Dean McDonald, Richard Naylor, Lewis Price, Matt Richards, Luis Sito, Shane Supple, Ian Westlake, Gavin Williams, Fabian Wilnis.

 

If Richard Naylor plays it will be his 300^th appearance for Town.

 

Norwich will be more then likely to hand a debut to Rob Earnshaw and home debuts to Jonatan Johansson and defender Zesh Rehman. Paul McVeigh is a doubt with a thigh injury and Adam Drury is also a doubt with a virus.

 

Norwich manager Nigel Worthington: “Derby games are great games, the excitement it brings, the rivalry it brings.

 

“Matches between Norwich City and Ipswich Town are hard-fought, good games and tomorrow will be no different.”

 

Officials:

Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire)

Assistants: Steve Rubery (Kent) and Michael Short (Yorkshire)

Fourth Official: Kevin Wright (Cambridgeshire)

 

Match odds from WillHill.com:

Norwich: 19/20

Draw: 2/1

Town: 13/5

 

Sources: Ipswich Town – the official website and pinkun.com

 

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