Town continue to await Alun Armstrong's decision on whether he becomes a Town player. The Middlesbrough man returned to the North-East yesterday to discuss the move with his wife. Prior to this he had passed a medical and the Blues had even called a press conference for 3pm. However, the former Stockport man needed more time and is currently mulling Town's offer over.
Armstrong is a Newcastle lad who started his career at his home town club at a time when Colin Suggett was on the staff. Suggett knows the player very well and Town must be confident that they can make a success of Armstrong's currently directionless career should he sign.
He has shown reluctance to leave the North-East before, preferring to commute to Stockport from Newcastle during a long period of his time at Edgley Park.
It is likely we will hear whether the deal has gone through by the end of the week.
Town's youngsters line-up against their Leicester counterparts in the third round of the FA Youth Cup (KO 7pm). The tournament is for U18s which means that there is no place Academy regulars like Nabil Abidallah. Town's side will contain several of the extremely highly rated U17 side including England youth player Darren Bent and similarly honoured Irish 'keeper Darren Kelly.
This game is not free to season ticket holders and costs £5 for adults and £3 for children. Full squad: Kelly, Hulyer, Artun, Bonwick, Beevers, Snowdon, Bloomfield, Westlake, Ambrose, Robinson, Dinckinson, Bent, Burton, Chaffey, Richards, Connell, Subrin and S Logan.
Town reserves performance against Derby saw John Scales suffer a first half hamstring problem. The TWTD columnist was replaced by Ashley Nicholls, but the former Ipswich Wanderers player was unable to stop Derby running out 6-1 winners. I'm sure John will run through the game in detail in his column later today.
Trialist Matt Turner is said to have had a decent game, although he featured in only the first half. The Town goal came from Neil Midgley, while Derby's six came from Deon Burton (3), Dean Sturridge and Lee Morris. Town side: Salmon, Miller, Croft, Abidallah, Bramble, Scales (Nicholls 26), Turner (Moffat 46), Reuser, R Logan, Midgley and Friars. Unused: Niemi, Subrin and Daly.
If national newspapers are to be believed the off-field Blue Army is doing as well as that on. Reports yesterday suggested that Town fans were as loud as a jet taking off during Derby match at the weekend. Apparently we peaked at 118 decibels which we're told is enough to deafen a small dog.
Ironically the atmosphere at the Derby game was amongst the quieter experienced at Portman Road this season. If only the Noise Detectors, representatives from Ipswich Borough Council, have been at the Manchester United game we'd have broken their equipment. Town are now expected to meet metal band Motorhead in the final.
The second issue of Town's new magazine IT's Ipswich is imminent. Editor David Johnson said of his second effort in the world of publishing: "This issue is four pages longer than the last, giving even more fantastic in-depth articles about the club including interviews with man of the moment, Hermann Hreidarsson and 'Room Mates' Jim Magilton and Gary Croft. I think my favourite article in this edition is Matchday Minutes, which gives an exclusive look behind the scenes — you'd never believe how much preparation goes into a matchday from everyone at the club."