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Peters & Canada Kick Off - Ipswich Town News

Winger Jaime Peters and the Canada U20 side kick-off their FIFA World Youth Championship campaign with a game against Syria in Tilburg, Holland on Sunday. Peters, 18, is expected to formally sign on with Town soon after pre-season training starts on July 4th.

As well as Syria, Canada face Colombia and Italy at the group stage and are not expected to qualify for the knock-out phase.

Coach Dale Mitchell says the Syria game will not be easy: "It's going to be a tough match for us, there's no question. All the matches here, you're on a different level now than you were in CONCACAF.

"Syria obviously aren't as well known or have the history that the other two teams in our group have, but they still have very good players. And those players, like most of the kids in this tournament, are with full-time professional clubs."

Peters is one of the leading lights of the Canada side, having already won seven caps at full international level.

Meanwhile on the transfer front, Birmingham keeper Ian Bennett is weighing up whether to join Sheffield United or Leeds or stay with the club he joined 12 years ago.

Town offered the former Peterborough man a three-year contract in 2003 prior to signing Kelvin Davis and, with a goalkeeping vacany once again on the cards at Portman Road, the 34-year-old has again been linked.

Former Blue Gus Uhlenbeek has left Wycombe Wanderers after failing to agree terms on a new deal. The Dutchman, 34, has lined-up talks with other Football League clubs.

Ex-Town academy striker Alan Connell is discussing whether he should sign a new contract with Bournemouth. Connell started his Cherries career in a flood of goals at the beginning of 2003/04 but a serious injury forced him to miss most of that season.

The 22-year-old started only 10 games last season and is considering moving for first team football.

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