Ipswich v Barnsley Preview
Posted on | September 29, 2008 | No Comments
It’s a fixture covering two sides that are both in poor form although Barnsley did make the step of moving from the bottom of the table at the weekend. Despite acquiring numerous players with Premiership experience during the summer, things haven’t worked out quite as planned for Ipswich boss Jim Magilton so far and it’ll be interesting to see if they can kick start their home form against the battling Tykes.
There’s no doubt that there’ll be a few disappointed Ipswich fans at the moment, with The Tractor Boys currently sat in 16th position after an inconsistent start. Having been taken over last season, they’ve spent relatively big over the last twelve months and seen players like Kevin Lisbie, Moritz Volz, Richard Wright and Ivan Campo swan in this summer. However, grinding out wins seems to be a major problem and as it stands they’ve only won twice in the league this season. Through the last campaign their home form was something they relied heavily on yet even that seems to have deserted them, with Magilton’s men picking up most of their points on the road.
As for the visitors, despite only managing a goalless draw at the weekend, many neutrals were thoroughly impressed with their performance and believe it’s only a matter of time before things start turning round for them. One Sunday newspaper claimed that they split Norwich apart with their passing and after missing a host of chances including a penalty, they really should have got all the points. The bizarre point about that game was the absence of skipper Brian Howard – a player who scored 14 goals last season and provides them with a real attacking spark. Since that game, it’s been revealed that he’s set to move to Sheffield United so it remains to be seen if The Tykes can continue to play that well without him. There’s no doubt that scoring goals has been a massive problem for them this season and with Howard being their top scorer in the last campaign, who knows how hard his loss will hit them.
In terms of team news, Jim Magilton has a few concerns for his side with Pim Balkestein, Moritz Volz and Tommy Miller all doubtful for the clash. To add to those woes, Ben Thatcher will definitely not feature with the former Manchester City man out for at least six weeks with a thigh injury. As for the visitors, they are more or less at full strength. Obviously, they’ll be without Brian Howard, but on loan striker Maceo Rigters looks set to return and he’ll be hopeful of capturing the sort of form that won him the Golden Boot award at the U21 European Championships last year.
Even though Barnsley seem to be playing quite well, Ipswich is a tough place to go for any side and they’ll have a stern test. The Tykes’ inability to score goals will show even more so against a strong Ipswich defence and for that reason, we’ll go for a home win. 1-0 Tractor Boys.
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