[themaclad]

In 1946 Bobby Troup composed a song about travelling along one of the world's most iconic pieces of Tarmac Route 66m, Chris Rea composed a song about the misery of the M25 entitled the Road to Hell, as yet no one has composed one about the M6/A14 incorporating the roadworks at Junction 16 to 19 on the M6. It is these twon wonderful roads that the travelling whites will take on Saturday to get to that most distant of places Ipswich were North End take on bottom of the table Ipswich Town at Portman Road





Town have had a poor start to the season and dispensed with manager Paul Hurst last week and replaced home with that jovial Scot Paul Lambert although Paul Lambert from Emmerdale (pictured) seemed to be surprised that the Town board had offered him the job.





The jovial Scot completes a hat trick of playing North End in his first game which he did when he took over at the Plastics and then the Portuguese team based in Wolverhampton, bad news for us he didn't lose either game.
Previous manager Hurst obviously was getting ready for spending next seaon in League 1 by buying most of his players from League 1 clubs Shrewsbury and Accrington.
Be interesting to see how the home fans react to Lambert given his role as manager at their two local teams Colchester and Norwich.

Here's a bit of Wiki information

Ipswich Town Football Club (also known as Ipswich, The Blues, Town, or The Tractor Boys) is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system, having last appeared in the Premier League in the 2001–02 season.

The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn professional until 1936, and was subsequently elected to join the Football League in 1938. They play their home games at Portman Road in Ipswich. The only fully professional football club in Suffolk, they have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with Norwich City in Norfolk, with whom they have contested the East Anglian derby 139 times since 1902.[2] The club's traditional home colours are blue shirts and white shorts.

Ipswich have won the English league title once, in their first season in the top flight in 1961–62, and have twice finished runners-up, in 1980–81 and 1981–82. They won the FA Cup in 1977–78, and the UEFA Cup in 1980–81. They have competed in the top two tiers of English football uninterrupted since 1957–58. They have competed in all three European club competitions, and have never lost at home in European competition, defeating Real Madrid, A.C. Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio and Barcelona, among others.[3]

Previous managers included Sir Alf Ramsay and Sir Bobby Robson who both went on to manage the national side, Robson era coincided with having those two classy Dutch players Thijssen and Muhren as well as Wark, Butcher and ex Chorley player Paul Mariner.

Relatively little happens in that part of the world although in 2006 local man Steve Wright thought he would reduce the number of working girls in the area by killing them off, he managed five before he was arrested and sentenced to life, he claimed he was innocent however once caught the number of deaths of working girls decreased by 100% apparently the main area for prostitution in Ipswich is around the Portman Road area so if the game is poor you always got time for a quick one before going home.

Last season we lost 3-0,it was not a stellar performnce one historic event did happen though it was the last time in a North End shirt that one Marnick Vermijl played.

As the clocks went back yesterday it's time for the yellow ball to make an appearence





So a quiz question to end with, who was the first player in England to score a hat trick with the yellow ball?

[themaclad]

Team News: Ipswich Town
Manager Alex Neil has no new concerns heading into the weekend’s long trip to Ipswich Town.

The Preston North End boss was without a couple of players for last Saturday’s clash with Rotherham United, but is expecting a fully fit group by the time they get to Portman Road.

Brandon Barker and Ryan Ledson were both unavailable for the clash with the Millers, but both are back in full training and are expected to be in the manager’s travelling party for the trip to Suffolk.

Skipper Tom Clarke returned for the clash with Paul Warne’s men and came through unscathed, so he will also be available for the game, giving the manager plenty of options.
Billy Bodin and Josh Harrop are now the only players unavailable, as they work on their rehabilitation from their respective ACL injuries.
Speaking at his press conference after his appointment was confirmed, new Town boss Paul Lambert said of his injury situation: “There are one or two little knocks from the weekend but we’ll see how they are come the rest of the week. As a squad, we’re going to need everybody.”

Cole Skuse, who had been a doubt before last weekend’s loss at Millwall, was replaced at half-time at the New Den, so he will be one of those that will need to be assessed.

One man not available for the new boss will be striker Jonathan Walters, signed on loan from Burnley in the summer transfer window, the Irish international unfortunately picked up a significant injury early in his spell back with the Tractor Boys and is ruled out for much of the season.

Caretaker boss Bryan Klug operated a three at the back system against Neil Harris’ men last weekend, but the new manager will no doubt have his own opinion on what is the best formation and line-up to go with for the game.

Ref Watch: Ipswich Town

On Saturday afternoon the match official for our clash with Paul Lambert's Ipswich Town at Portman Road will be experienced referee Andy Woolmer.

It is only Andy's sixth game of the season and his first North End game since the final day of 2016, when we drew 1-1 with Sheffield Wednesday at Deepdale.

That was one of four games that Woolmer took charge of a PNE game in the first half of the 2016/17 season; as well as overseeing the points being shared with the Owls, the Northamptonshire-based official also took charge of our EFL Cup win over Hartlepool United early in the campaign, late September's 2-2 draw at Birmingham City and November’s 3-1 win at Rotherham United that year.

His early season visit to PR1 for the EFL Cup tie was the referee's seventh visit to Deepdale in his 13th year on the EFL lists, meaning the Wednesday game was his eighth.
The season prior to that he took charge of PNE twice, the clash again between North End and Sheffield Wednesday, at Hillsborough in October 2015, and then in March of 2016, the 1-1 draw at home to Queens Park Rangers.
His first game in charge of the Lilywhites was way back in January 2005, when he was the referee for our 2-1 victory over Crewe Alexandra and he was also referee on Good Friday 2015 for a win over Rochdale, preceded by the 2013 home win over Stevenage, when Lee Holmes and Will Hayhurst were on target for then manager Simon Grayson’s men.

His last trip to Portman Road was also back in the 2016/17 season, when the Tractor Boys overcame Queens Park Rangers in November 2016.

So far this season he has only officiated five games, issuing 14 cautions and two red cards. This Saturday he will be assisted by Andrew Fox and Mark Jones, whilst Alan Young will act as the fourth official.

[themaclad]

Ipswich Town 1 Sears pen Preston North End 1 Gallagher

Ipswich Town line-up: Bialkowski, Knudsen, Chambers ©, Pennington, Chalobah, Edwards (Rowe, 77), Skuse, Spence, Roberts (Jackson, 74), Sears, Downes (Dozzell, 84). Subs not used: Gerken, Donacien, Edun, Lankester.

PNE line-up: Maxwell, Clarke ©, Earl, Pearson, Huntington, Davies, Barkhuizen (Nmecha, 71), Johnson (Moult, 61), Maguire, Browne (Gallagher, 71), Robinson. Subs not used: Rudd, Fisher, Storey, Barker.

Attendance: 15,129 (404 PNE fans)

Referee: Mr A Woolmer


A marathon 18 hour trip ended just after midnight down to the usual M6 diversion on the way home, feeling was this was an opportunity missed to gain our first away win of the season. Ipswich under new manager Paul Lambert chased every ball closed us down and gave 100% but in trujth were a bit pot mind you in saying that we were pot as well.
Town started quickly but the early chances fell to us Robinson had a shot spilled by Bialkowski nobody following up Town had two shots close but no cigar with Maxwell relatively untoubled.


Until the stroke of half time, up to then Maxwell had had an in anout first half his kicking at times was dreadful and he alsp tried to be take on home attackers outside the box, then Earl whacked a 50 yard back pass to ime at warp speed, he did well to beat the firs attacker however sent the ball towards the edge of the area and seemed to take the player not the ball however TV proved he did get the ball none the less Mr Woolmer gave the penalty and booked the keeper. Sears then sent him the wrong way Town led on the stroke of half time.



The second half started we were awful little creativity and spent the majority of the time hoofing the ball to Maguire, who won nothing in the air against their back two centre backs. A couple of Town efforts went narrowly wide a header by Roberts being the closest. Then as seems to be the way with North End making a substitution changed the course of the game


With 20 minutes to go Paul Gallagher strode, his first touch was to take a free kick, we had just started to get back into the game when we were given a free kick about 20 yards from goal, Gally took it scored now level and in my view only sidelikely to win this game, until Maxwell's second walkabout.


The keeper chased a ball down to the touchline on Town's right wing got there too late clattered the winger and received his second yellow and off he went. All three subs had been used so Gallagher was the outfielder to done the gloves, do well to get anything from the game at this point, how wrong can you be.
https://youtu.be/ruSAJKtgG-Q

Town created little in the final 20 minutes they had several corners but only one effort from Sears which led to a fantastic punch save from the stand in skipper, we looked more dangerous Maguire got away with Nmecha the Republic striker's pass to the youngster did him no favours but the defensive tackle by the home defender was excellent. Defensively the last 20 minutes we were excellent but the feeling is dropped two points from this one. Just outside the drop zone on goal difference need to start winning games soon, six unbeaten though.

Finally Mr Woolmer gave us nothing all afternoon neither did his myopic linesmen.

Ipswich manager Paul Lambert:

"I thought we were excellent. I couldn't have asked for any more from the players.

"I thought we needed a focal point today and Jordan Robert was outstanding.

"I'm really proud of the team and what they gave us. The football club has had a hard time over the past couple of months but the fans showed today they're right behind the team."

Preston North End manager Alex Neil:

"If anything the red card galvanised us and we probably had the best chance of the game after that with the chance for Lukas late on.

"I wanted to put Louis in goal but Gally (Gallagher) fancied it and seemed to fancy himself as a goalkeeper. We got a corner and I wanted to bring him out because he's got the best delivery at the club but he did well.

"We are disappointed we haven't got more out of the last few games. I felt we should have won against Rotherham and I felt today we had the chances to win it."