Striker Nicky Forster will be back in the Town squad when relegation-threatened Brighton visit Portman Road on Saturday. Fellow frontman Alan Lee is again a doubt due to his groin injury.

Forster has been out of action since the game at Hull on December 28th, having subsequently undergone his second cartilage operation this season. The ex-Reading striker did well in his first reserve game on Monday and looks likely to be on the bench against the Seagulls and for the trip to Watford on Monday.

Boss Joe Royle is keen for Lee to start despite his injury: "If he plays he won't be fully fit, but I hope he recovers enough to be out there. That apart, there are no other injury dramas from last week's game."

Striker Danny Haynes has impressed his manager in recent games and could well have won himself a place in the starting line-up: "It's been a big week for Danny. Whether or not he did score last week, I'm not sure, but he certainly scored two at Norwich [in the reserves] and probably gave us his most complete game since he's been converted to a front player. His learning curve has gone up a lot this year, his graph's been very steep."

On-loan defender Jay McEveley, whose Blackburn team-mate Shefki Kuqi was at the Town training ground on Thursday morning, came though the reserve game at Norwich with no further concerns over his knee and could return at left-back, while Royle says he will give Norwegian midfielder Vemund Brekke Skard his first Town start in one of the two Easter weekend matches.

Northern Irish youngster Chris Casement is likely to drop back to the bench after his full debut at right-back last week, while Spaniard Sito may reprise the right midfield role he played for the reserves on Monday, perhaps in place of Darren Currie, who could drop to the bench or may be required as a second frontman if Lee fails to make it.

Owen Garvan and Jimmy Juan are likely to be in the centre of the midfield, although skipper Jim Magilton should take some part in what will be his penultimate game for the Blues at Portman Road before he departs in the summer.

If fit, Lee is expected to be partnered by Haynes with Dean Bowditch on the bench after starting last week against Stoke.

Royle says he wants a much better display than the one which saw the Blues lose 4-1 at home to Stoke: "We need an improved performance. We didn't fail for effort last week but it wasn't the performance we would expect and hope for. There's no doubt at this stage of the season one or two of the younger players are feeling fatigue.

"Bad as we were, last week was harsh on us with the three goals in the last five minutes certainly giving the game a one-sided gloss, but we weren't anywhere near what I want, so we're looking for an improvement, not just in this game but in the last four games."

The Blues could relegate the Seagulls, just as they did in the Division Two championship season of 1991/92, if they win and Sheffield Wednesday defeat Norwich City.

Brighton manager Mark McGhee can call on left winger Alex Frutos after a rib cartilage injury, while central defender Adam Hinshelwood should also be fit having been forced off against Southampton last week with a shoulder problem.

Saturday's referee is Iain Williamson from Berkshire who has shown 111 yellow and six red cards in 34 games this season. His last Town game was the 1-0 away win at Sheffield Wednesday in December in which he booked Nicky Forster.

Squad from: Supple, Price, Wilnis, McEveley, Barron, Sito, Naylor, De Vos, Casement, Magilton, Juan, Garvan, Richards, Currie, Skard, Lee, Haynes, Forster, Bowditch.

Photo: Action Images

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