Former Town defender Mauricio Taricco makes his first appearance at Portman Road since leaving Town in 1998. The Spurs full-back has told TWTD that he is looking forward to the return to his old stomping ground.

Taricco has not been to Suffolk for a while and is keen to see the redeveloped Portman Road: "I'm ust looking forward to playing. I haven't played at Portman Road for some while now and I'm looking forward to seeing the new stands. Ipswich is obviously one game I look forward to, but of course I will be focussed and looking for the points."

Taricco cites particular players as highlights from his time at Town rather than matches: "Players are the main memories. Paul Mason, playing with him was a highlight in my career, and we keep in touch. A good lad and great player who should have played for longer in my opinion."

He says Tony Mowbray is the man he is most looking forward to meeting up with on Saturday, although they keep in regular contact: "My only close friend at the club these days is Tony Mowbray so I'll see him. We speak on the phone sometimes, about football mostly. No, he hasn't asked me to come back to Ipswich!"

There are still many Town fans who would like the Argentinian to return to Portman Road, however, the 28-year-old sees this as unlikely now, although does not completely rule it out: "I've just re-signed a contract for Spurs so I think it would now be difficult, but you never know in football, sometimes things happen that you don't expect."

In stark contrast to Town's fortunes, Spurs are enjoying one of their best seasons for a while: "We are happy with the season so far. My aim was to play and be fit after I had a bad time last year. I've played more than I thought I would, so I can't complain. At Spurs we are happy with the season overall but disappointed with a few results recently. We're in the semi-final of the Worthington Cup and are just two games away from the UEFA Cup. It would be nice to get to the final, I missed out last time Spurs were there as I was cup-tied. In the League we could also get to Europe, but we will have to wait and see at the end of the season. We are playing better this year than in previous seasons."

The match at White Hart Lane last month between Spurs and Town was dominated by one incident, the sending off of Teddy Sheringham. A harsh decision says the man known as Tano at Tottenham: "When we saw the sending off on TV it didn't look pretty, but not a sending off offence and I think that if one went off then they both should have gone. There had also been similar incidents at other corners before that, pushing, shirt pulling."

Overall, though he felt the sides were evenly matched on the day: "It was very much a game of two halves. In the first Ipswich were on top, in the second Spurs. Town had most possession in the first and Spurs got goal they didn't deserve. Then it was the same in the second half, Ipswich scored when we were on top."

Taricco was one of the most popular figures at Portman Road during his time there and is likely to get a fine reception from his old supporters, although the man himself isn't completely convinced of this: "We'll see, maybe they'll boo me! No, I hope I have a good reception from Ipswich fans, but we will have to see."

TWTD suspects that there will be little booing at Portman Road come 3pm on Saturday afternoon.

Photo: Action Images

Ipswich Town Polls