Ipswich Town v Huddersfield Town
Portman Road
Saturday 25 October 2014 3pmThis Saturday sees Ipswich Town host the Terriers, with both sides in a good run of league form, which for both teams came after disappointing local derbies. Ipswich may have lost 3-1 in Cardiff on Tuesday, but that was on the back of an unbeaten run of 8 games since their 1-0 defeat at home to Norwich, while Huddersfield are unbeaten in 5 since their rather limp 3-0 loss to Leeds at Elland Road . Ultimately, both sides will fancy their chances, and both sets of fans will want something from the game.
A bit more about our opponents, in comparison with us (our results appear in brackets):
Year Formed 1878 (1908)
Capacity 30311 (24500)
League titles 1 (3)
FA Cup 1 (1)
Top scorer this year Murphy - 7(Wells – 6)
Number of players to appear in Escape to Victoty 7 (0)
The gaffers
Mick McCarthy is the current Ipswich manager, having taken over from Paul Jewell almost 2 years ago. His win ratio is just shy of 40% both as a manager generally and since being chief Tractor Boy. Chris Powell’s win percentage as a manager is higher overall (41) but slightly lower since being Top Terrier, although he’s only been here 5 minutes. Both managers are known for building resilient defences. Chris Powell differs from McCarthy by virtue of having been capped by his country, whereas MM was capped by someone else’s, unless Barnsley is now in Country Donegal.
Portman RoadIpswich pay tribute to their illustrious managerial pedigree (are they the Championship club with the highest number of managers to have managed internationally?) with statues of Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson.
The away section is not the most comfy, although the views are generally ok. You won’t find yourself with your own stand, instead getting a section of just under 2000 seats in the upper tier of the Cobbold Stand. For a bevy pre-match, head to the Riverside Hotel, which is between the railway station and the ground. Usually there is no booze for away fans at half time. If you’re driving it’s the pleasure of one of the most boring A-roads in the country – the A14. Then the A1214 or A137. The ground is well signposted, and there is plenty of Pay & Display parking on Portman Road itself.
Played for bothStriker central here, with 3 modern legends...
Marcus Stewart
The transfer of Marcus Stewart from Huddersfield to Ipswich is one which many Terriers still rue, and many feel it cost us our chance at promotion under Steve Bruce, who is (in my opinion unfairly) often vilified for the transfer. He scored 68 goals in 160 games for HTFC, before moving to Ipswich for a fee of £2.5m on 1 February 2000. Ipswich got promoted, and we didn’t. He played 96 games for Ipswich, scoring 40 goals.
Jordan Rhodes
He just loves blue and white, this lad. Jordan Rhodes made 10 substitute appearances for Ipswich, scoring once, before Roy Keane sold him to us in what was Lee Clark’s best day’s work, for a fee of around £350,000. He played 148 times for us, scoring 87 goals and helping us reach two playoff finals, winning the second at Wembley. He was then sold to Blackburn for £8m, since when he has scored 57 goals in 110 games, as well as earning 11 Scotland caps, scoring 3 goals.
Alan Alan Lee
Alan Lee played for Ipswich from January 2006 to August 2008, playing 109 games, scoring 34 times. He then moved to Cardiff, before joining Huddersfield in August 2010. He played 101 games, 56 of these as a sub. He scored 12 goals, the first of which was scored at the Emirates in the FA Cup, and some of which were key during the promotion campaign, and his elbows and headband were legendary. He left Huddersfield at the end of the 2012/3 season, and re-signed for Ipswich as player-coach in January 2014, making just one substitute appearance. He now coaches the academy. His elbows and hair bands are legendary...
Likely Huddersfield formationNo need to change a side on the run we’re on.
Recent meetingsIpswich did the double over Town last year, winning 2-1 at Portman Road in December 2013 – Danny Ward put us ahead in the first half but second half goals from Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick secured 3 points for the home side. James Vaughan (remember him?) missed a penalty at 0-0 as well.
In the return leg at the JSS in April, Huddersfield were on a dismal run and goals from Paul Anderson and Murphy (again!) in the first half saw Town slump to a 0-2 home defeat, the latest disappointment in a run of 8 games without winning – we won 2 of the remaining 5 games after this.
The previous season, Town’s first since promotion to the Championship, saw two score draws.
PredictionIpswich 1 – Town 1 Smith and Bunn
