Ipswich Town Boss Roy Keane is weighing up whether to give 18-year-old Luke Hyam his senior debut when they travel to Middlesbrough for Saturday’s opening npower Championship game of the season. Hyam has impressed his manager throughout pre-season and could make his bow at the Riverside.
Keane could also hand Reggie Lambe a place in his team for tomorrows start to the season. Probable squad: Fülöp, Murphy, Lee-Barrett, Peters, Ainsley, Kennedy, O’Connor, McAuley, Smith, Brown, Hyam, Leadbitter, Norris, Healy, Lambe, Martin, Priskin, Walters, Edwards, Stead, Murray
The Town manager isn’t concerned that the lack of pre-season games has left his squad short of fitness as they go into the new season: “I’ve no problem with us being undercooked. If that was a concern we could have got another one or two games in. But the way it panned out with the injuries, with the shape and with what we did last year, we spent more time on the training pitch.
“We do have the 11 v 11s over 60 or 70 minutes in training which are as good as a lot of games, particularly pre-season.”
The Irishman expects Boro to be amongst the main contenders for the Championship this season: “I think they’ve invested well, they got some decent money for Adam Johnson when he went to Manchester City last year and Gordon’s brought in experienced players.
"He’s got goalscorers in his team and just as importantly he knows their character; they’ve played for big clubs, they’ve played in big Champions League games.
Keane is likely to give his two experienced signings and Hyam their debuts at the Riverside with the Blues’ other new man Conor Hourihane seen as a player of the future and not involved this weekend.
Ipswich will be without Connor Wickham (ankle), Damien Delaney (thigh), Luciano Civelli (knee) and Alan Quinn (groin).
Midfielder Colin Healy is over his thigh problem and will be in the squad, while centre-half Tom Eastman is banned after his red card on the final day of last season against Sheffield United. Jon Stead may also be in the travelling party despite probably being on his way out of the club before the end of the month, but Pablo Couñago will be left behind.
Contrary to Town’s rather quiet summer, Middlesbrough have spent more than £5 million, Gordon Strachan, who was Keane’s manager at Celtic, adding the likes of Steven McManus, Kevin Thomson, Kris Boyd, Tarmo Kink and Nicky Bailey to his squad.
Boro have an injury doubt regarding midfielder Gary O'Neil, who has a knee problem, while fellow midfield man Andy Halliday is on the way back from a groin strain. Defender Tony McMahon is likely to be back from a thigh strain but Rhys Williams is a long-term absentee with a pelvic injury. Keeper Brad Jones is suspended.
Mido, Didier Digard and Marvin Emnes have been told they do not feature in Gordon Strachan’s plans for the season ahead and can leave the club.
Defender Matthew Bates spent time on loan with Town in the 2006/07 season, making two appearances before a cruciate knee ligament injury saw him return home. The defender is back in action again after yet a knee ligament injury – his fourth – ended his 2009/10. No current member of the Town squad has played for the Teessiders.
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