Town Look to Build on Barnsley Point at Brighton Tuesday, 2nd Oct 2012 06:00 Town visit Championship leaders Brighton tonight with assistant manager Chris Hutchings looking for the Blues to build on Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Barnsley. Striker Michael Chopra could return to the side after missing the last two matches due to a thigh strain. Hutchings says the draw at Oakwell, which ended a run of three successive defeats, is a platform from which to push on: “That’s something we can build on, without a doubt. We feel that we’ve played better and not got anything points-wise from our performances. “Look at Middlesbrough and places like that where we had numerous chances, haven’t taken them and been beaten. “Going to Barnsley, with them coming off a 5-0 win at Birmingham the previous week and playing them on their own patch, I thought in the first half we did well. “We frustrated them and got an early goal from a set piece that we worked on, which was very important. “It was very rewarding for that to happen and score, especially early on in the game. It gives you a foothold in the game and gives you confidence. “In the second half we could have done a lot better in terms of retaining the ball, getting up the park and creating chances, but having said that I thought we defended quite well. The keeper’s made a couple of good saves, which you have to in any game, so it was a positive.” He says he has been pleased with keeper Scott Loach as the former England U21 international looks to fulfil his early promise, his progress having stalled during his latter days at Watford: “Potentially he was a very, very good goalkeeper a few years ago. Maybe he lost a bit of confidence at some stage in his career, we recognise that. “We feel he’s got very good attributes and he’s resurrecting his career here and we want to be successful in that.” Prior to the signing of Loach, the Blues targeted Tomasz Kuszczak who, after talks at Portman Road, subsequently joined this evening's opponents. Hutchings says that that was just one of those things that happens in football: “You win some, you lose some. Some players come in, some players go for whatever reason. On this occasion he didn’t come in. “It’s up to Scotty to make sure he does well and shows what he can do. He’s done OK, we’d like a few more clean sheets, but it’s a collective thing, you can’t just blame one person.” The Blues assistant boss, a left-back with Brighton during his playing days, says he was a fan of his Seagulls counterpart and Town legend Mauricio Taricco, also a full-back: “He was a very good player. “He had a great time here and I think the reception he got last year when he came back just showed how popular he was. “He was a very good player and he and Gus have done a great job down at Brighton when you think how far they’ve taken the club. “They’ve a new ground with a 25,000 capacity, playing a brand of football which suits them, which is very appealing on the eye and they’re successful with it. "We know that it’s going to be a tough game but it’s one that we’re looking forward to.” The trip to Sussex is the first of two tough games this week with second-placed Cardiff at Portman Road for a live Sky match on Saturday (KO 5.20pm). Hutchings says he’s relishing the challenge with the Championship as competitive as ever so far this season: “Great games, you want to play the best teams. It’s just how the fixture list comes out. While it’s been suggested that Town might be better off playing away from home where there’s less pressure as they look to get back to form, Hutchings isn’t particularly concerned one way or the other: “I don’t think it matters, it’s a football pitch, there are goals at the end of it. “You’ve got to be mentally focused, you’ve got to do your job right and if you don’t do your job right, normally you get beaten. “It’s a matter of everyone pulling together, staff, players, whoever it is in order to make sure we get three points. And if we can’t get three, we’ll get one.” Hutchings and manager Paul Jewell are likely to start with Loach in goal, Luke Chambers and Danny Higginbotham at centre-half and with Carlos Edwards and Aaron Cresswell as the full-backs. In midfield, the Blues will probably switch away from the diamond they utilised at Barnsley at the weekend with Guirane N’Daw filling one of the central roles. Luke Hyam is a doubt with the back problem he picked up at Oakwell and might miss out in favour of Massimo Luongo or Andy Drury. Lee Martin is likely to be behind lone striker Michael Chopra, if the former Cardiff man, who was due back in training yesterday, is fit. If not, Jason Scotland will keep his place. Paul Taylor is out for at least six weeks with a cracked bone in his foot. Daryl Murphy will probably be on the left with either Josh Carson or Jay Emmanuel-Thomas on the right. Hutchings says the Blues’ management staff are working on adding attacking variety to the former Arsenal man’s game but most importantly improving his defensive play: “He has got all the ability in the world, but it’s when he’s off the ball that we’ve got to get more out of him.” Alternatively, Jewell could utilise a three-man central midfield in a 4-5-1 formation with Martin switching to one of the flanks and three from N'Daw, Luongo, Drury and Hyam, if fit, in the middle. Brighton will be without striker Craig-Mackail-Smith (hamstring) and winger Will Hoskins (broken foot), while right-back Bruno (groin), winger Andrea Orlandi (ill) and midfielder Andrew Crofts (hamstring) all face fitness tests. Assistant boss Taricco told their club site that he and manager Gus Poyet are hopeful that some of that list might make it: "Macca is not available and obviously Will Hoskins is still out, but the rest are 50/50 and we are trying with a few who have a chance. "We were not expecting Crofty to be out for this long, but unfortunately that is the way it is. Bruno is one of the 50/50 players and we still have time before the game tomorrow night, so he still has a chance." Midfielder Vicente is back in training after a tendon problem but won’t be involved against the Blues. Historically, Town have the upper hand, having won 27 games (24 in the league) between the sides, Brighton 21 (19) and with 12 (11) ending in draws. Town last won away at Brighton at the Goldstone Ground in May 1989 when Mich D'Avray netted the only goal of the game. In February, Brighton halted Town’s winning run at four games as goals from Craig Mackail-Smith and Ashley Barnes (2) saw the Seagulls to a 3-0 win at the Amex Stadium, the Blues’ first visit to the Sussex club’s new home. Michael Chopra had had a chip headed off the line by home skipper Gordon Greer before Mackail-Smith struck in the first half, Barnes sealing the home side's victory with two goals after the break. At Portman Road last October, Michael Chopra hit two stunning goals, his first at home for the Blues, and Ibrahima Sonko opened his Town account as Paul Jewell’s men came from behind to win 3-1. Town should have been in front at the break but it was Brighton who scored the game’s first goal, Vicente curling home from 25 yards, before Sonko’s header sandwiched Chopra’s brilliant right-foot strikes. Both assistant managers have represented the club they face tonight. Chris Hutchings was with the Seagulls between 1983 and 1987, while Taricco was with the Blues between September 1994 and November 1998, scoring seven goals in 169 starts and three sub appearances before leaving for Spurs for £1.775 million. With Brighton in their traditional blue and white stripes, Town will be wearing last season’s black away kit. Tonight’s referee is Fred Graham from Stanford-le-Hope in Essex, who has shown 24 yellow and no red cards in nine games so far this season. 7 Graham’s last Town match was the 3-1 Capital One Cup victory over Bristol Rovers on the opening day of the season in which he kept his cards in his pocket throughout. Squad from: Loach, Lee-Barrett, Edwards, Cresswell, Ainsley, Chambers, Higginbotham, Smith, N'Daw, Luongo, Hyam, Drury, Murphy, Emmanuel-Thomas, Carson, Martin, Chopra, Scotland, Ellington, Murray.
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