Town striker Neil Midgley has left to join Barnet on a free transfer. The striker had made little impression this season and becomes the first of the out of contract players speculated upon this morning to go.

Midgley had loan spells at Luton and Kidderminster last season and the Hatters wanted him to join them full-time. However, he returned to Portman Road and made a scoring debut after coming on as sub for David Johnson in the home game with West Brom. He made one start for Town, in the game at Port Vale last season.

Town manager George Burley said: "Neil came to us from school in Cambridge and has progressed through our youth scheme. He is a hard working player who has done well for our reserves, but his first-team chances have been strictly limited. We wish him well and I’m sure he’ll do well with Barnet."

Earlier this season Midgley's former reserve team colleague Stuart Niven joined the Underhill club, also on a free.

David Sheepshanks has hit out at those pundits who are claiming that Town's high position in the League is down to a weak Premiership.

The Town chairman said: "I’ve heard such talk and it’s nonsense. It’s a typical old war cry from a few agitated pundits not happy about more of the bigger clubs not being up there. They are peeved to see the likes of us, Sunderland, Leicester and Southampton high up and doing well."

Fans have been equally unimpressed with pundits this season with many receiving harsh criticism on the TWTD Message Board. The across the board writing off of Town at the beginning of the season was just the beginning of a year of patronising and belittling commentry by the so-called experts.

Sheepshanks added: "To see the four of us mixing it with the very best of them rankles in some quarters. It might not be according to the script, but that’s how it is."

I doubt many fans will disagree with the Town chairman on that.

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