Town boss Paul Jewell says youngster Luke Hyam is amongst the candidates to replace the suspended Grant Leadbitter when the Blues take on Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday. Leadbitter misses one game after being red-carded in the closing moments of Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over Burnley.

Jewell says Hyam is amongst his options but feels he isn’t short of options: “He might well [come back in] but there are a lot of good players who aren’t in the 16 at the moment.

“Luke Hyam has done terrific when he’s been in the side. We took him out, but we did say we were going to rotate the squad.

“Grant’s suspension on Saturday might give someone else an opportunity. We might well give a couple of the youngsters like Lee Bowyer or Mark Kennedy a game!”

Alternatively, Andy Drury could be in line for a recall, while recent signing Ryan Stevenson and Jimmy Bullard, who returned to the fold last week after his two-week club suspension, are outsiders to take over from the former skipper.

Town haven’t beaten Watford in 14 games home and away in all competitions (13 in the league) since March 2004 when a Dean Bowditch hat-trick and a rare strike from Jermaine Wright condemned the Hornets to a 4-1 defeat at Portman Road.

The Blues' last victory at Vicarage Road was in September 2003 when a debut goal from Shefki Kuqi and a deft chip by Jim Magilton saw Joe Royle's men to a 2-1 win, Scott Fitzgerald netting for the Hornets.

Jewell is aware of the hoodoo, but takes these things with a pinch of salt: “We’ve got a few bogey sides us, haven’t we? Every week I get asked about bogey teams!

“I think we’re Cardiff’s bogey team. I don’t think Malky Mackay had ever lost a game against Ipswich until he came here [recently]. But I’m not a massive believer in all that stuff.”

Photo: Action Images

Radlett_blue added 07:11 - Mar 23 "Give Mark Kennedy a game"? What are we - a pub team?
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itfc1981 added 07:20 - Mar 23 As its Leadbitter who is out Dury should play, a centre midfield of Bowyer and Hyam would be to defensive. On present form all being fit it should be Leadbitter and Hyam in the side. Leadbitter dropping out for Dury once his form drops back to normal levels after he signs a new contract.
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Dissboyitfc added 08:03 - Mar 23 great humour from jewell, there is no need for him to announce at this early stage, who will replace leadbitter. Quite a few fans will be pleased at his absence, then again from the response the crowd gave him as he walked off, many like me will feel we will miss him. Chance for Hyam,( if he gets the nod ) to shine. I rate him and i like him, but would prefer an on form Leadbitter to an on form Hyam.... As for sats game against watford, this is what we could do, lets say its revenge time for ripping us off with priskin, our last two revenge games went well( posh and Burnley)...being serious now, think this is definately winnable, bogey team or not, safety has been secured , just go for it theres no pressure....coyb

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Leoipswich added 08:04 - Mar 23 We need to go back to the drury and hyam partnership IMO. We need drury as he adds a lot more pace in our play and we missed him against burnley on Wednesday. yes we won the game but we didn't play very well and i think drury adds the creativity we need in the midfield.
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Lathers added 08:08 - Mar 23 I doubt Bowyers legs could handle 2 games in 3 days so Jewell has to bring back the Hyam - Drury partnership. Another reason to bring back Hyam is that the Watford game will be a right battle on a boggy crap pitch and Hyam loves that type of scrap. Surely we can end the curse of Watford on Saturday!
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Pessimistic added 08:14 - Mar 23 I would go for Drury and Hyam to return to the fold. I think we could afford to have Jimmy Bullard on the bench this time though because after his recent misdemeanors he must be raring to prove a point.
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lawshallgirls added 08:19 - Mar 23 Byron Lawrence?!? :) Jewell said he might get a chance this season so who knows, could this be his chance?!?
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BlueBoots added 08:23 - Mar 23 Just the one change please, Hyam for Leadbitter. Out-battle Watford in midfield with Bowyer and Hyam, and hopefully the front 4 will do the business.
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ThatMuhrenCross added 08:55 - Mar 23 Drury in for Leadbitter. Bowyer in the more defensive role.
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Bergholtblue added 08:55 - Mar 23 Whilst I would welcome Hyam back as I believe his partnership with rury has been the catalyst for our recent success, he wasn't even on the bench Wednesday. Stevenson was. What would that do to tevenson's confidence and self esteeem if Hyam leap frogged him into first team? Surely the bench should be made up of the next best players available, so if Hyam is better (and I think he is) then shouldn't he have been on the bench instead?

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sheepdags added 09:09 - Mar 23 Good time to revive the Drury/Hyam partnership that started the good run going. Bowyer on the bench to come on late.
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ArnieMsBigToe added 09:38 - Mar 23 I think Hyam & Stevenson could be worth a punt. At least, have Stevenson on the bench. PJ will know how tired Drury is. Lots of options though.
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Guthrum added 09:41 - Mar 23 Bergholtblue - No. The shortened benches this season have to be manned with specialist players to do specific jobs. Either tactical options or flexible cover. That's why Hyam went straight out of the 16 altogether (and could come straight back in). There's no longer the luxury of having your "just outside the starting eleven" players sitting there. And as long as things are properly explained, there's no reason why Stevenson's morale should take a knock. He is an experienced professional footballer, after all and must be aware by now of the ways team rotation can work. If he's on the bench, he knows he may well get time on the pitch, as has happened several times.

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fourth added 09:57 - Mar 23 Hyanm and Drury
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blueherts added 10:52 - Mar 23 Lathers , not sure what the weather is like where you are but one thing is for sure the pitch will not be boggy !!! be bouncing about all over the shop . Hyam should be in with AD - It has gotta end soon but Watford and us are two form teams so happy with a point on a crappy pitch
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SouperJim added 11:01 - Mar 23 I hope I never see Lee Bowyer in an Ipswich shirt again. No energy, doesn't win the ball, spent almost 90 minutes standing in the centre circle watching the game go on around him on Wednesday.
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playmakerz added 11:02 - Mar 23 Personally thought Bowyer was poor last game, would like to see the return of the Drury/Hyam partnership.
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Garv added 12:03 - Mar 23 SouperJim it was Bowyer running in trying to score the rebound from Martin's shot, which eventually ended up at Chopra's feet and then the back of the net. Had Bowyer not made the run the defender would have cleared under no pressure. Bowyer did some very poor things on Wednesday but don't underestimate him. I would however like to see Drury and Hyam back together, there's just more energy in that midfield than probably any other partnership we have.

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jas0999 added 13:14 - Mar 23 Jewell's treatment of Hyam has been terrible. Hyam did not deserve to lose his place and should have at least been on the bench. I wouldn't play Bowyer tomorrow - surely we don't want him to trigger a clause for a new contract? He's poor and the past - Hyam is the future. Despite this recent good run, PJ is still making some poor decisions.
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Warkys_Tash added 14:18 - Mar 23 @itfc1981: With all due respect Bowyer is actually an attacking midfielder - not a defensive one. If you watch him closely he actually makes alot of late runs into the box, which is what all good goal scoring midfielders do - obviously he scored alot more goals in his Leeds days when he was in his prime, as he had the legs then, than he does for us. But even on Wed night he made a geat run into the box, only to be fouled by their number 20 - Marvin? - who incidentally made repeated fouls against both Bowyer and Leadbitter - which made Leadbitters yellow all the more gauling. Leadbitter looking back to his best (finally) and will be a massive miss in his current form.

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Garv added 14:42 - Mar 23 When you think of what we could potentially do between now and the end of the season, despite being unlikely, Leadbitter's sending off is even more stupid. I watched him do it, as did the referee. I don't understand how a person can be so thick? I really think he could be the different on Saturday, in that we could lose because he isn't there. Still extremely hacked off at what he did. One word - idiot.

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TurinBlue added 14:51 - Mar 23 Who plays probably depends upon where Jewell sees our present situation. Do we still have a relegation risk? Have we still got an outside chance of the play-offs? Can he experiment because there is little to play for. Lawrence and Stevenson should get a fair go when nothing left to play for - two games hence I suspect. For now we have to go to Watford and do everything to win. Bowyer & Hyam for me.

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SouperJim added 15:51 - Mar 23 @Garv one occasion of getting in the box does not make a good performance, I watched him all game and he was utter pony. He's a has-been looking for a retirement contract, the sooner we get rid the better. Disgusting that he's keeping Drury, Hyam and Stevenson out of the starting 11. Will Jewell ever learn? It's Hyam and Drury's energy that dug us out of the mess we were in. The old boys like Bowyer and Bullard have done absolutely naff all, bunch of mercenaries who will bleed this club dry. Also, for Leadbitter's sending off, why on earth didn't Jewell replace him with Sonko the minute he was booked? He had been winding the ref up all game and the warning signs were there. Incompetent management.

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Garv added 16:25 - Mar 23 Oh hardly. Leadbitter had been one of if not our best player, and we still hadn't won the game. If Jewell had taken him off and we'd conceded an equalizer you'd be saying what a terrible substitution it was! I'm not saying that constitutes a good performance but I'm just giving an example. We wasn't particularly good the other night, although a good number of people have said they thought he played well, but he has the quality and ability to do a job here, albeit not every week. He scored one of the season's most important/ memorable goals at West Ham to earn us a famous(ish) victory, another goal to secure a good point at Leicester. As well as that he's put in a few relatively decent performances. Injuries havn't helped, that would be my argument for not extending his contract. So what I'm saying is he hasn't done 'naff all'. To put him in the same bracket as Bullard is harsh and frankly a bit dim, although even Bullard I don't think has been total crap, just way off what he was last season, keeping him sitting after we could see it wasn't working didn't help him, that was a poor mistake by the management. I'm rambling now, basically I think your attack on Bowyer is harsh.

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Garv added 16:26 - Mar 23 Oh hardly. Leadbitter had been one of if not our best player, and we still hadn't won the game. If Jewell had taken him off and we'd conceded an equalizer you'd be saying what a terrible substitution it was! I'm not saying that constitutes a good performance but I'm just giving an example. We wasn't particularly good the other night, although a good number of people have said they thought he played well, but he has the quality and ability to do a job here, albeit not every week. He scored one of the season's most important/ memorable goals at West Ham to earn us a famous(ish) victory, another goal to secure a good point at Leicester. As well as that he's put in a few relatively decent performances. Injuries havn't helped, that would be my argument for not extending his contract. So what I'm saying is he hasn't done 'naff all'. To put him in the same bracket as Bullard is harsh and frankly a bit dim, although even Bullard I don't think has been total crap, just way off what he was last season, keeping him sitting after we could see it wasn't working didn't help him, that was a poor mistake by the management. I'm rambling now, basically I think your attack on Bowyer is harsh.

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