Town new boy Sylvan Ebanks-Blake is ready to launch his Portman Road career and add to the competition for places in manager Mick McCarthy’s first team, according to fellow Blues frontman Daryl Murphy.

The ex-Wolves striker, who will make his debut in Saturday’s FA Cup third round tie at home to Preston, is sure to keep the other forwards on their toes.

Murphy has featured in every one of Town’s 24 league fixtures this season — 21 starts and three appearances from the bench — but still welcomes the fact that Ebanks-Blake is on board.

The 30-year-old said: “Sylvan has been looking sharp in training. As everyone knows, he has just come back from a bad injury and needs to build up his fitness but he’s been looking good.

“As far as I’m concerned he makes an already good squad even better. We’re a close-knit squad as well, which is a good thing. There are not too many players and we’ve got great competition for places.

“You have to do the very best you can or you know the gaffer will change it and someone else, like Sylvan for example, will take your place.

“The current squad is the best I have known in my many spells at Ipswich. It’s a good mixture of players, two for each position and even more strikers, so it’s definitely healthy.

“We’ve been playing a 4-3-3 lately and I’ve played in that system in the past for the gaffer. Frank and I have been playing wide of Didsy in the middle and we change any time we want.

“It’s quite flexible and the three of us tend to rotate quite a bit and leave Didsy in the middle as much as we can. I think it’s worked out quite well for us.

“We’ve always had competition anyway from Tayls and the other lads. Jack Marriott’s doing really well on loan and Frank has got in the team.

“Sylvan’s arrival means extra competition but it’s good for the team. It can only benefit us knowing we have a player of his quality ready to come in. It should spur us on even more.”

Photo: ITFC

Photo: Action Images

BlueMachines added 06:22 - Jan 3 Can't wait to see him in a Town shirt!!
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martleshamitfc added 08:59 - Jan 3 Good news, wonder what team MM will put out tomorrow. Preston are on a really good run and won't be a push over by any means. Take them lightly and we could be out of the cup at the 3rd round stage again.
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shiminywho added 09:08 - Jan 3 Loach; Chambers, Smith, Berra, Mings; Anderson, Tunnicliffe, Wordsworth, Hunt; Taylor, Ebanks-Blake.
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battyblue added 10:20 - Jan 3 Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. Paul Taylor .Steven Hunt in ,,frank Nouble, murphy, anderson out
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oscarwhiting added 10:25 - Jan 3 Loach Edwards Berra mings. Creswell Anderson. Wordsworth hyam hunt SEB Taylor Or Loach Edwards chambers smith mings Anderson skuse Wordsworth creswell SEB Taylor Or Loach Chambers smith Berra creswell Hyam skuse tunicliffe SEB taylor Murphy
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ChrisMakin2012 added 10:25 - Jan 3 Hopefully that will keep Nouble out of the team!
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village_blue added 11:28 - Jan 3 Think that Berra's suspended for tomorrows match because it was his 5th yellow card against Charlton.
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ChestnutSe added 12:50 - Jan 3 I expect Mick will say all the right things but will be silently hoping that we slip out of the cup tomorrow with a respectable 1-0 or 2-1 loss. We will not win the cup so the competition is a sideshow and possible distraction to the only game in town, promotion to the PL.
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JLCitfc added 12:59 - Jan 3 This team hopefully... Gerken. Edwards,chambers,smith,mings Tunnicliffe,skuse,anderson Mcgoldrick,SEB,Murphy.
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JLCitfc added 13:01 - Jan 3 Bench. Creswell Loach Lawrence Nouble Taylor Hyam
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Edinburgh_Blue added 13:17 - Jan 3 Have to disagree there ChestnutSe. I think the FA Cup is the perfect opportunity to rotate players and get them game time. I'm expecting to see several changes tomorrow and players like Taylor and Ebanks-Blake will really benefit from that. Even Loachy might get a game!
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