x

U18s Host Swindon in Youth Cup - Ipswich Town News

The Blues' U18s are in FA Youth Cup fourth round action against Swindon Town at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon (KO 2pm).

The side coached by Adem Atay and Jason Dozzell reached round four by coming from behind to beat Premier League Fulham 3-2 in their third-round tie at home in December, having defeated Chelmsford 5-0 away in round two and prior to that Southend 4-1 at home.

The competition was suspended due to the lockdown in early January but was given the OK to resume earlier this month.

Atay says that Town go into this game viewed very much differently than they were for the Fulham tie.

"Last time we were probably viewed as the underdogs, but today that's not the case. We must respect Swindon," he told the club site.

"The message to our players is to treat every game the same, it doesn't matter what the badge looks like. Once the game starts there are 22 players on the pitch who should all be up for it. It is a different challenge for us so we must be ready.

"The mentalitiy that we showed in the second half against Fulham was great so we will be looking at that as an example. All of these matches that are thrown up in the Youth Cup are different to what we have in our league programme.

"It's about what we can do but we also have to be able to adapt to what challenges Swindon present. It's an opportunity for the lads involved and we want to get the job done."

If the Blues win this afternoon, they will travel to wither Swansea or Middlesbrough in the next round with the winner of that tie taking on Peterborough, Sheffield United or Bristol City at home in the quarter-finals.

As the tie clashes with the League One fixture at Wigan Athletic, Town are not streaming the game live as was the case with this season’s previous Youth Cup ties, however, Swindon are showing it on their YouTube channel.

Town, who are are currently top of Professional Development League Two South, have won the FA Youth Cup on three occasions, in 1973, 1975 and 2005.

What to read next:

Town Women Sign Midfielder Dear
Ipswich Town Women have signed midfielder Jenna Dear following her release by fellow WSL2 side Sunderland at the end of last season.
Blues Target Guiu Closing in On Sunderland Loan
Blues target Marc Guiu is closing in on a loan move to newly promoted Premier League Sunderland.
Town Women Sign Full-Back Roe
Ipswich Town Women have signed full-back Bethan Roe following her exit from fellow WSL2 side Charlton Athletic.
Town-Norwich Derby Live on ITV
Town’s East Anglian derby against Norwich City will be shown live on ITV as well as Sky Sports.
Townsend: We All Have to Step Up to Fill Morsy Void
Conor Townsend believes the entire Town squad will need to step up to fill the leadership void left by the departure of former club captain Sam Morsy.
Women's League Cup Group Drawn
Ipswich Town Women have been drawn in Group D of the Subway Women’s League Cup alongside Crystal Palace, Leicester City and London City Lionesses.
Saudi Club in Cajuste Talks
Former Blues loanee Jens Cajuste’s future could now be in Saudi Arabia with Neom the latest club to show interest in signing the Napoli midfielder on loan.
French Club Eyeing Al-Hamadi
Ligue 1 Toulouse are reportedly showing interest in Blues striker Ali Al-Hamadi.
Town Women Re-Sign Doe on Permanent Deal
Ipswich Town Women have re-signed midfielder Ruby Doe for a third spell, this time on a permanent basis.
Town Among Clubs Linked With McBurnie
Town are reported to be among a number of Championship clubs showing interest in free agent Scotland international striker Oli McBurnie.