Manager Chris Hughton held his pre Ipswich Town press conference yesterday afternoon, and here’s what he had to say ahead of the midweek game.
Speaking to the Official Site as he met with the media Hughton knew it would be a tough game against Mick McCarthy’s side, but he opened with an update on Liam Rosenior who was pencilled in for another Under 23 run out yesterday evening.
‘Liam`s playing in the under-23 game tonight. He`s getting better with every week. This will be his fourth game, his second 90 minutes and he`s getting very, very close. He`ll be important on two counts. Firstly, his ability is the most important thing and he`s a player that whenever he`s played for us, he`s played well. He`s versatile, can play in any one of three positions in which we`ve used him, but he`s also a very good individual around the place. He`s an experienced player and even when he`s been injured, he`s used his experience really well within the squad.’
Turning his thoughts to Ipswich more directly, he knew the general nature of McCarthy would make them a tough cookie to crack and of course they will be boosted following victory over Aston Villa at the weekend.
‘Ipswich are always a threat. They went through a difficult period, but they`ve got a manager that I know very, very well and whenever he`s called upon to turn things around, he can do. In my time here, we`ve never had a comfortable game against Ipswich and they`re on the back of a very good victory against Aston Villa. They`ll be coming into the game in good form with good confidence, so we`ll certainly have to be aware of that.’
As for home form being a success for the club this season, that was no surprise for Hughton when he was pressed on it as he’d naturally expect a side to win more on home soil than on their travels – although there were exceptions to that rule at points.
‘The fact that we win more games at home than away is just normal. It would be the same for most teams, even though you might get the occasional side that strive more playing away from home. You`ve got to win them. The atmosphere has got better and better during my time here at the Amex, and I think that helps. There`s no doubt that over the last season and this season, we`ve been a good side. I think if you`re a good side playing at home, that certainly gives you an edge.’
With another hectic fixture schedule now, Hughton said that as long as the results were coming it’s rarely a problem as players are naturally bouyed and relish the next test, so it’s all about preparation and recovery at points like this.
‘It`s always a good thing if you get the right results. It`s such an emotional game, that if you get the right results, would you prefer them to come quicker? or would you want more time to prepare? The reality is that we always have to work around what the situation is. We play a lot of games in this division and at times you don`t get the preparation time that you would really like. It`s the same for everybody, but it`s certainly better when you`re off the back of a win.’
