x

Wood and Dozzell Set for Caps - Ipswich Town News

Loanee striker Chris Wood and academy schoolboy Andre Dozzell will be in international action today with New Zealand and the England U16s respectively.

Wood, 23, who is on loan from Leicester City, will skipper the All Whites when they face South Korea in a friendly in Seoul.

Blues defender Tommy Smith, who celebrates his 25th birthday today, was left out of what is an experimental New Zealand squad including 10 uncapped players.

Wood says the new recruits have impressed him: "They've all stood out coming into this camp, it's shown that there is a lot of depth in New Zealand football.

"It's always going to be a big occasion for anybody stepping out on the field in front of 40,000 people, it'll be a new experience for a few of the lads but I'm confident they can take it in their stride, enjoy it and get a good performance under their belt.”

Auckland-born Wood, who has won 39 caps, scoring 13 goals, says he’s enjoying his time with Town.

"It’s been good. It’s nice to be out getting some game time, getting back into football because it’s been a while since I’ve consistently played games.

"It’s nice to be out playing football again. I’m only going to increase what I’m about by playing games so it’s nice to be back playing.”

Dozzell, 15, is with the England U16s squad at the Montaigu Tournament in France where they face Mexico in their opening group game today, then Turkey on Thursday and the Ivory Coast on Saturday.

They will then take on one of France, Brazil, Belgium or Morocco from the other group in the play-off stage of the competition.

Dozzell, who will join the academy as a full-time scholar in the summer, has previously won five caps at U16 level.

What to read next:

Akpom: I Always Had My Mind Set on Ipswich
Chuba Akpom has revealed he always wanted to sign for Town this summer despite nearly joining Championship rivals Birmingham City.
U18s at Palace
Town’s U18s face Crystal Palace at the Eagles’ training ground on Saturday afternoon (KO midday).
Ipswich Town v Sheffield United - Predictions
Have you predicted the Blades score yet? Seventy six per cent of TWTD members are predicting a Town win this evening, 14 per cent a draw and ten per cent an away win. The most commonly predicted result is a 2-1 win to Town with Hirst the first scorer but what do you think?
Gray in New Zealand Squad For U20 World Cup
Blues keeper Henry Gray has been named in the New Zealand squad for the U20 World Cup which gets under way in Chile later this month.
Akpom: Time to Kick On From Now
Town forward Chuba Akpom believes the Blues’ slow start to the season is not a cause for concern ahead of Friday’s match against Sheffield United at Portman Road.
Town Host Table-Propping Blades Targeting First Win
Town host bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United live on Sky on Friday evening looking to bring a number of unwanted records to an end (KO 8pm).
[Podcast] Life's a Pitch TV - New Podcast Now Online
A new podcast from the Life's a Pitch TV team is now available.
McKenna: I Can See the Thinking Behind Play-Off Expansion Proposal
Town manager Kieran McKenna says he can see the thinking behind the proposal to extend the Championship play-offs to six clubs.
McKenna: International Break Has Been Beneficial
Blues boss Kieran McKenna says the international break has been useful to help some of the recent signings settle in, however, with a number of regular starters away it wasn’t possible to do too much directly working towards Friday’s home game against Sheffield United.
McKenna: The Next Challenge is Building a Team Supporters Enjoy Watching and Are Proud Of
Town boss Kieran McKenna says the challenge is now to build a team that the club’s supporters can enjoy watching and be proud of following a “difficult” transfer window in which the squad underwent greater change than had been anticipated.