Midfielder Gavin Williams is a doubt ahead of Saturday's trip to Blackpool due to the thigh problem which forced him to miss last week's draw with Stoke City. Town travel to Bloomfield Road for the first time in almost 30 years still looking for their first away win of the season.

Boss Jim Magilton says he doesn't want to push the Welsh international into a more serious injury: “We are waiting to see how Gavin Williams is and we will not push him if there is a chance it could mean longer term damage, but everybody else is fit and well.”

Town are also without Liam Trotter, who will serve the second game of his three-match ban for his red card in the FA Cup tie with Portsmouth.

The Blues are likely to be unchanged at the back with Neil Alexander in goal, David Wright at left-back, Sito on the right and Alex Bruce and skipper Jason De Vos in the centre. Richard Naylor and Fabian Wilnis will vie for a place on the bench.

In midfield, Jon Walters will probably continue on the left with Danny Haynes having won himself a berth on the right. Owen Garvan will be in the middle alongside Tommy Miller, unless Williams is considered fit enough to start in which case the former Yeovil man is likely to take over from Miller. Gary Roberts returns to the squad after doing well in training of late.

Up front, Pablo Couñago and Alan Lee are expected to start with Billy Clarke or Jordan Rhodes, who scored twice for the U18s in midweek, likely to play some part from the bench.

The Town squad are flying up to the North-West later today as they seek their first away win in 16 trips, the most recent having come at Luton last March.

Boss Jim Magilton admits he continues to find Town's lack of an away victory perplexing: "I can't put my finger on why we cannot win away. We need more mental toughness and desire.

"We prepare the same home and away. The ball has not run for us away and we have been close on a few occasions.

"Once we do win away the ball will hopefully start rolling for us. Blackpool have a good home record and they had a good Christmas. We know it will be another tough one."
Tangerines boss Simon Grayson, who was with Town striker Alan Lee in his days at Aston Villa, says he is determined to see his side get back to form against the Blues: "Last weekend we looked out of place at Charlton but that's the only time I've had to say that this season.

"But we now have a great opportunity to get back track at home to Ipswich, and we must take that opportunity to do so."

Grayson is aware of Town's away form: "They've obviously struggled on the road but at the end of the day it doesn't mean anything.

"As each week passes they will be getting more determined to break that hoodoo and they'll feel they have a good chance to do it at our place.

"We've got to be really on our mettle and make sure we're really at it otherwise we won't get the result we're after."

Pool could give Steve McPhee a full debut up front with midfielder Keith Southern the only player unavailable to Grayson through injury.

Town's last game at Bloomfield Road was a League Cup tie in the 1978/79 season which the Seasiders won 2-0. In the league, the last fixtures between the sides came in 1970/71 when the Blues did the double over the Lancastrians, winning 2-1 at home and 2-0 away.

Overall, the teams have only rarely met in the league with the Blues winning four of the matches, drawing five and losing just the once. The 1978/79 League Cup match is the only time the sides have met in cup competition.

Saturday's referee is Mike Pike from Cumbria, who has shown 28 yellow and no red cards in 13 games this season. His previous Town game was the 3-0 defeat at Burnley in September 2005.

Likely squad: Alexander, Supple, Sito, Wright, De Vos, Bruce, Naylor, Wilnis, Garvan, Miller, Legwinski, Williams, Haynes, Walters, Roberts, Peters, Lee, Couñago, Clarke, Rhodes.

Photo: Action Images

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