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Downes and Nydam Start at Barnsley But No Ward or Smith - Ipswich Town News

Midfielders Flynn Downes and Tristan Nydam have kept their places in the Town midfield for today’s first Championship away game of the season at Barnsley, but Grant Ward and defender Tommy Smith both miss out.

Ward picked up a kick to the calf in last weekend’s 1-0 victory over Birmingham, while Smith missed Tuesday’s 2-0 Carabao Cup win at Luton with a sore back while rumours regarding a hamstring injury were circulating yesterday.

The New Zealand international’s absence sees Jonas Knudsen continue as the left-sided centre-half in the back three with skipper Luke Chambers in the middle and Jordan Spence on the right. Dominic Iorfa and Myles Kenlock are the wing-backs with Bartosz Bialkowski in goal.

Downes, who will be making his first league start, will be alongside Cole Skuse in the deeper midfield roles with Nydam, who will be making his league debut having made his senior bow on Tuesday, will be ahead of them and behind front pair Joe Garner and Freddie Sears.

David McGoldrick, who scored twice at Kenilworth Road, Bersant Celina, Martyn Waghorn and young defender Luke Woolfenden are among the subs.

Town will be looking to win their opening three games at the start of a season for the first time since the 2002/03 campaign.

Barnsley include new Harvey Barnes, who signed on loan from Leicester yesterday and who Town were also believed to be eyeing, among their substitutes.

Barnsley: Davies, McCarthy, MacDonald (c), Jackson, Pearson, J Williams, Moncur, Potts, Hammill, Bradshaw, Hedges. Subs: Townsend, Pinnock, Payne, Mowatt, Bird, Barnes. Ugbo.

Town: Bialkowski, Spence, Chambers (c), Knudsen, Iorfa, Kenlock, Skuse, Downes, Nydam, Sears, Garner. Subs: Gerken, Woolfenden, McDonnell, Rowe, Celina, Waghorn, McGoldrick. Referee: Geoff Eltringham (County Durham).

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