Friend Opts for Town - Ipswich Town News
Doncaster Rovers defender George Friend is understood to have opted to join the Blues ahead of Championship rivals Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest. The 24-year-old central defender or left-back has long been on Paul Jewell’s radar with reports of interest in the former Exeter man first surfacing last summer.
Friend was thought to be close to joining Middlesbrough having been made available for a fee of £250,000 with Nottingham Forest — managed by his old Rovers boss Sean O’Driscoll — also believed to be interested.
While the deal is not yet done, Friend is understood to have decided on a switch to the Blues ahead of his alternatives.
Having become Exeter’s youngest-ever captain and helped the Grecians back into the Football League, the Barnstaple-born defender moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of the August 2008 transfer window for an initial fee of £350,000.
Loan spells at Millwall, Southend, Scunthorpe and Exeter followed as Friend managed only six starts and two sub appearances in two years with the Midlands club. In the summer of 2010, the 6ft 1in tall defender joined Doncaster on a two-year deal, extending his terms by a further season last year.
Photo: Action Images
What to read next:
Hull City v Ipswich Town - PredictionsHave you predicted the Hull score yet? Sixty per cent of TWTD members are predicting a Town win this evening, 27 per cent a draw and 13 per cent predicting a home win, but what do you think?
Leeds Thrashed at QPRThe battle for promotion at the top of the Championship took another dramatic turn this evening when Leeds United were thrashed 4-0 at QPR, a result which confirms Leicester City’s promotion to the Premier League and puts the Blues in the box seat for the second automatic spot.
Gilmartin to Continue Interim Irish RoleTown’s head of goalkeeping Rene Gilmartin will continue his role on Republic of Ireland interim head coach John O’Shea’s staff for the June internationals, the FAI has announced.
Season Tickets Sell OutTown have announced that season tickets for the 2024/25 season have sold out through existing renewals, meaning no new fans will become season ticket holders for the campaign ahead.
U18s Host BladesTown’s U18s are in Professional Development League Two South action at home to Sheffield United on Saturday morning (KO 11.30pm).
Rosenior: Our Cup FinalHull City boss Liam Rosenior insists the Tigers’ home game against Town, a match which he describes as his team’s cup final, kicking off at 8pm on Saturday is an advantage in the race for the final play-off places.