Keeper Arran Lee-Barrett’s return could be the only change to Paul Jewell’s side when the Blues meet their manager’s old club Derby County at Portman Road on Saturday. The 27-year-old will replace David Stockdale, who was recalled from his loan by parent club Fulham on Wednesday.

Lee-Barrett comes into the frame with Richard Wright out for probably only another week with his strained pec, while third choice Cody Cropper, 18, looks likely to be out for several months with a knee injury sustained in training.

Academy second-year scholar Conor O’Donnell has been drafted into the first team squad as cover and could be on the bench if Wright isn't considered fit enough even for inclusion as a sub.

Carlos Edwards and Aaron Cresswell are set to continue as the full-backs with Danny Collins playing the final game of his loan spell at centre-half alongside Ibrahima Sonko.

In midfield, Jewell probably won’t recall Grant Leadbitter despite the skipper overcoming his groin injury as he’ll probably want to stick with the Lee Bowyer-Keith Andrews central midfield combination which was a key part of last week’s second half comeback at Barnsley.

Andrews is likely to keep the armband with Lee Martin on one flank and Daryl Murphy on the other with Michael Chopra and Jason Scotland up front.

While Town’s incredible comeback against Barnsley last week ended a run of seven defeats, Derby came from behind in a slightly less dramatic fashion to beat Bristol City 2-1 at home and end a six-game winless streak.

Jewell, who managed the Rams between November 2007 and December 2008, coincidentally resigning after a 1-0 defeat to the Blues at Pride Park, says there are plenty of similarities between the clubs.

“I think Derby’s a brilliant club with great supporters and great tradition, very similar to this. It’s been successful in the past,” he said.

“It just didn’t happen for me when I went there. When I went there we had had 14 games in the Premier League and hadn’t scored away from home and had four or five points, so it was always going to be difficult.

“As hard as I tried, I couldn’t turn it around. I have no regrets about going to Derby, it didn’t happen for me there, but it’s a brilliant club and they are one of those clubs which will feel they should be in the Premier League, like about 23 of the clubs in this division.”

He believes Nigel Clough was the ideal choice as his successor: “I don’t know him very well. I remember when I left I was speaking to [former Derby chief executive] Adam Pearson and I thought he was the right man for the job.

“I think the club needed a feelgood factor as it had had a tough two years and Nigel Clough was a natural choice because of his dad. The fans just needed someone who had been synonymous with Derby in the past, and I think he’s done very well.”

Clough says he hopes his side can build on last week’s victory: "The win against Bristol puts that little bit more belief into the players. It's difficult when you're playing well and not getting the results because we've had that over the last two or three seasons.

"If we keep doing the right things, the wins will come and that was proved on Saturday against Bristol City.

"Ipswich will be a different camp after getting a win at Barnsley. We've stopped a bad run too, so it'll be difficult to call what will happen this weekend. We're unbeaten in two and we're eager as anything to take that to three."

The former Nottingham Forest striker says Town’s performances have been better than their results: "We saw Ipswich several times during their losing run and they weren't playing that badly. They were unlucky a couple of times with the timings of goals and things like that.

"They looked out of it against Barnsley, who had won five out of six, and they come back and score five in the second half, which pretty much sums up the nature of the Championship.

"They'll probably argue they weren't doing too much different in that second half than they have been in the games that they lost.”

Derby, who sit in 14th position in the table, six places and five points above the Blues, have striker Theo Robinson and right-back John Brayford available again after hamstring and thigh problems respectively.

Striker Tamás Priskin is ineligible under the terms of his loan deal, while fellow frontman Nathan Tyson has returned to full training after a groin injury but seems unlikely to be involved against the Blues. Definitely out are striker Steven Davies (head), Kevin Kilbane (back) and Saul Deeney (shoulder).

Historically, Town have had the better of Derby, winning 30 games (28 in the league), drawing 18 (16) and losing 23 (22).

In February, Jimmy Bullard struck on his debut and then-skipper David Norris netted his eighth goal of the season as Town came from behind to win 2-1 to claim Paul Jewell’s first away victory with Town.

Alberto Bueno had put the Rams in front before Bullard volleyed home a spectacular equaliser prior to the break, Norris grabbing the winner in the second half.

In November 2010 at Portman Road, two second half goals from Kris Commons saw Derby to a 2-0 victory over the Blues, their first win in Suffolk in seven years.

Town had been the stronger side for much of the first half but gradually lost their way with the visitors taking control and securing the win via Commons’s goals.

While Blues boss Jewell was manager at Pride Park, Chris Hutchings was his assistant and then briefly caretaker-manager after Jewell’s resignation before Nigel Clough was appointed. Blues scout David Hamilton also worked for Jewell at Derby.

Nathan Ellington spent 2008/09 on loan with the Rams, making 17 starts and 15 sub appearances, scoring nine goals. Former Blues loan keeper Stephen Bywater is currently at Sheffield Wednesday on a similar spell. Town striker Tamás Priskin is on loan at Derby for a month but not involved on Saturday.

This weekend's match programme is available in an online electronic version here as well as at the game.

Saturday’s referee is David Webb from Lancashire, who has shown 65 yellow cards and four red in 20 games so far this season. Webb’s only previous Town match was the 2-0 home victory over Scunthorpe last season in which he booked Gareth McAuley, Grant Leadbitter, Lee Martin and one Iron.

Squad from: Lee-Barrett, Wright, O’Donnell, Edwards, Cresswell, Wabara, Collins, Sonko, Smith, Andrews, Bowyer, Bullard, Leadbitter, Martin, Murphy, Carson, Emmanuel-Thomas, Chopra, Scotland, Ellington.

Story syndicated from TWTD.co.uk

Photo: Action Images

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