New manager Roy Keane has told Town's players to move closer to the club's training ground, according to various reports this morning. Ben Thatcher and Kevin Lisbie both live near London with the former Colchester and Charlton man having no plans to relocate and hoping that a compromise can be reached with the new boss.

Keane, who himself is in the process of looking for a house in Suffolk, wants to avoid his squad arriving late at training sessions blaming traffic problems for their tardiness, as was often the case during his time in charge at Sunderland.

Lisbie and Thatcher have remained living in London since joining the Blues last summer and, while the striker empathises with his new manager's thinking, he isn't keen on moving his family: "The gaffer has an issue with players driving up and down the A12 from London or wherever, and I can understand that.

"But I have a big family and I will not be moving them up here. We are a very close family too, so I don't want to be living away from them.

"This is something we have to resolve and I'm sure it will be as I would like to be with Ipswich next season, but I can't be sure I will.”

While Lisbie has failed to impress home fans this season, he played a key role in helping the Blues to nine away wins during 2008/09. In total, the £750,000 signing from Colchester scored seven goals in 26 starts and 19 sub appearances, five his goals coming away and two at home.

Lisbie's unwillingness to move could solve a problem for the new Town manager with the club appearing to have a surfeit of strikers going into 2009/10, even without any summer signings.

In addition to the likes of Jon Stead, Pablo Couñago and Jon Walters, youngsters Jordan Rhodes and Connor Wickham will be hoping to make their mark on the first team next season and the departure of one of the more senior players - along with the expected exit of the out of contract Billy Clarke - seems likely, especially if Keane is thinking of adding to his striking options over the summer. Lisbie, 30, has two years remaining on his contract.

Meanwhile, skipper Gareth McAuley has been ruled out of Northern Ireland's friendly in Italy next month due to the knee ligament injury he sustained in training last week.

Elsewhere, former Blue Marcus Stewart has decided not to retire at the end of the season as he had initially planned and has signed a new one-year deal with Exeter. Stewart joined the Grecians last summer and helped them to win promotion to League One.

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