Today, Ipswich Town will turn their attention to the FA Cup as Maidstone United, a team from the National League South, will be coming to Portman Road to play for a spot in the fifth round. The action is teased by Alex Jones.
Concluding January
There has been a lot of talk about Ipswich’s poor form. Their inability to win, their difficulties in front of goal, and the fact that Southampton and Leeds United are drawing closer have all been emphasized by supporters and commentators. However, as January draws to a close, Town has a very real chance of going the entire month undefeated.
It’s critical to keep in mind that the Blues have played in just three league games during that time, with two of those matches ending in draws against Leicester City and Stoke City. To prepare up today’s game at Portman Road, they defeated AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup and defeated Sunderland in the Championship.
No, it’s not a run that will necessarily cause the rest of the league to pay note, nor is it a particularly hot run of form. Ipswich quietly goes about their job and does it effectively. This season, they have only dropped three league games and four overall in all competitions.
Flowing logo
They will finish January second in the table and earn a spot in the FA Cup fifth round if they defeat Maidstone. A wonderful chance
As we’ve noted before, there hasn’t been a direct correlation between Ipswich and the FA Cup in recent years. Watching the game today on BBC One will chill the spines of those who witnessed the 2017 third-round replay loss to Lincoln City.
After defeating Bracknell Town, Buxton, and Rotherham United to advance to the fourth round of the previous season, they were defeated by Burnley in a replay. They had not advanced to that point in the competition since 2009–2010. They haven’t advanced to the fifth round since 2006–07, but this season presents a fantastic opportunity to break that streak.
Nothing can be taken for granted, of course, but Ipswich will be in the final 16 if they can get their name in the hat. From there, they stand a fair chance of drawing a top Premier League team, with teams like Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United all predicted to advance.
There are still a few lower-tier teams in the competition, which may provide a route to the later phases. Although Kieran McKenna will undoubtedly ensure that they move cautiously, it’s difficult to remain enthusiastic.
Conversely, Ipswich will have to strike a balance between their FA Cup campaign and their Championship promotion fight. Many changes should be made for today’s match against Maidstone, but that could be difficult if they advance and draw a strong team in the following round, which will take place in the midweek at the end of next month before the trip to Plymouth Argyle.
What is expected of Town?
That much is certain—town may anticipate a potential banana skin. Maidstone must be accorded the full respect that they so richly deserve. To get to this point, they have eliminated a number of teams, including League One team Stevenage and League Two powerhouse Barrow.
To their players, this is everything. After their victory over Steve Evans’ team in the third round, you could see how happy they were when the full-time whistle blew, setting off a pitch invasion and celebrations that lasted well into the night. Although they were obviously unhappy not to draw a top Premier League squad, they have proven that they can compete with stronger teams despite being a semi-professional group.
They had a 5-3-2 shape when they played Stevenage, but they didn’t play well on defense. They were deserving of their victory because they faced up against one of the best teams in the third division. It has proven more difficult to duplicate that in the National League South, though. They are coming off a run of two losses and a tie as they visit Portman Road.
They do have a few well-known faces. Torquay United’s legendary injury-time equalizer against the New York Jets in the 2021 National League Play-Off final was scored by Brazilian goalkeeper Lucas Covolan. However, Torquay United lost the match on penalties. Timmy Abraham, the younger brother of Tammy Abraham, has also joined the team on loan from Boreham Wood.
Large crowd anticipated
Every club knows that cup matches are unlikely to garner large attendance, and Ipswich is no exception. Earlier in the season, we witnessed strong attendance at home games against Bristol Rovers, Wolves, and Fulham; nevertheless, considering the caliber of the opposition, several speculated that it might decline for today’s encounter.
It doesn’t seem at all like that. Adult admission to IP1 is only £10, therefore a good turnout is anticipated. Maybe it’s a chance for people who have trouble getting tickets to league games to see the Blues play.
As stipulated by the tournament regulations, Maidstone was granted a ticket allotment of 4,480, above the capacity of their home stadium, the Gallagher Stadium (4,200). After going on sale, the seats were sold out in less than a minute.
Bob Gouldson, the director of operations, praised Ipswich for their efforts to accommodate as many away supporters as possible. He emphasized that the Stones’ game has been “127 years in the making.” It is intended to be a memorable event.
Who is capable of playing?
Might there be eleven changes? Possibly, albeit that might be challenging given Ipswich’s shallowness in some parts.
With Brandon Williams still at Manchester United, Christian Walton is probably going to start in goal. Dom Ball might start at right back to give Harry Clarke a break. Axel Tuanzebe is anticipated to start at center back, but George Edmundson may be able to hold onto his spot as long as Christian Burgess and Elkan Baggott are still participating in the Asian Cup.
Cameron Humphreys is likely to start at left back if Sam Morsy and Jack Taylor start together in midfield. Marcus Harness appears to be the most likely choice to start in the center, but it would be fantastic to see Jeremy Sarmiento and Omari Hutchinson start on the flanks.
Since Kayden Jackson is the only senior striker on the team at the moment, it wouldn’t come as a huge surprise to see him starting. However, McKenna may use this as a chance to boost the confidence of Nathan Broadhead, who may return after being benched against Leicester City.
GET MORE NEWS HERE