Mepham was in the right spot

I hadn't foreseen Chris Mepham getting a place in the starting 11 on Saturday, but Eddie Howe changed the system and found a place for the centre-back. It was a bold decision and Mepham certainly didn't let the manager down.

Chris Mepham is not the goalscorer many were expecting in the first game.

The goal he scored was perhaps a typical centre-half's finish. It was a pounced on opportunity that he struck firmly and beat Henderson at his near post. Earlier in the match Mepham had been given a chance to score and snatched at it, but in the 62nd minute he made no mistake and his sense of delight that he had scored was infectious for the whole team. Mepham was on the spot at the right time, if you like, and if he can add a few goals to his game he will be even harder for Eddie Howe to ignore.

Eddie Howe has a wealth of talent to pick from at centre-back and that is only going to get stronger when Simon Francis returns. Playing three at the back is something that Howe is clearly motivated to do in some games and it does give Mepham the opportunity to come into the team and play with his laid-back style of playing out from the back. Mepham's challenge is also to make himself one of the two-centre backs when Howe decides to play as a back four.

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What I can see is that Mepham is now much more of a confident player at this level. He has made some mistakes, but he has his eyes open now when he goes into games and is ready to give his all. He needed that in the first few seconds of the game against Sheffield United, when McGoldrick got the wrong side of him and got a shot off that could easily have put the Blades 1-0 up. But Mepham rushed the striker enough that he didn't beat Ramsdale and that break surely got Mepham in the mood to have a good game, having been caught out for an instance.

Expect more grumbles from Mick McCarthy

It's probably fair to say that Mick McCarthy has been keen to stress that AFCB's good fortune is more to do with their bank account than any other factor from the comments he has made in previous encounters with the Cherries. Attracting good capital these days though is half the problem for many teams that are finding it difficult to manage their finances. AFCB should not be looked down upon though because they are now doing things right. Perhaps other clubs can learn from how AFCB have secured better funding and have been able to come through the league and to compete against clubs with much bigger fan bases.

AFCB v Ipswich last November.

Ipswich are of course one of those clubs that AFCB fans would consider a big club and they have also been bringing in some loan players ahead of the run-in with Johnny Williams and Zeki Fryers joining from Crystal Palace. The Suffolk side have also kept hold of Luke Varney and Richard Chaplow until the end of the season. Mick McCarthy also brought in Freddie Sears from Colchester who has done well since joining Ipswich. Elliott Hewitt has also been recalled from Colchester as possible cover for Tyrone Mings who will miss the clash with the Cherries. Striker David McGoldrich might also be back for the big match against the Cherries, along with Darren Ambrose perhaps.

Ipswich will know that a win against Bournemouth would draw them just three points behind the Cherries and could give them vital distance points over some of the teams vying for a play-off place. But Mick McCarthy will also know that a defeat would make it very hard for Ipswich to finish in the top two being nine points behind the Cherries. Ipswich need to make up ground and whether that means they come at the Cherries and leave holes in behind we will have to wait and see. Previous encounters in the Championship between the two sides have ended in draws but I don't think either side would be overly pleased with a draw this time around.

Ipswich's home form is pretty strong and with the TV cameras at the game it should be a very lively game, because AFCB never go to any ground and hold back these days. I'll be looking forward to Mick's post-match comments though. It will probably go something like - how can they afford someone like Kenwyne Jones? Only kidding Mick, you were the first to stop calling us "little Bournemouth" - just don't tell him AFCB's players have been training in Dubai. UTCIAD!

Ipswich Town Home Form
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AFCB Away Form
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Make sure you check out Cherry Chimes tomorrow as we have a Rival Lines interview with Independent Ipswich fan site TWTD.

Ipswich v AFCB showdown with TWTD and Cherry Chimes

Match Preview

Ipswich Town v AFCB

Blogger Interview - TWTD

Cherry Chimes gets ready for the huge Easter Monday showdown with Ipswich Town FC by talking to Blair Ferguson from independent Ipswich Town website TWTD.co.uk. Cherry Chimes welcomes back Blair to the rival Lines hot seat as the Tractor Boys and the Cherries go head to head in what is probably the game of the Easter period in the Championship - winner takes all! HAPPY EASTER!

CC: Ipswich have been in the Championship for many years so do you think getting promoted would do a lot for the town?

TWTD: I think it would lift the Town massively if they were to be back in the Premier League. There are the obvious things of getting more people into the Town but it would also raise the attendances at Portman Road, which is a great place to start.

CC: How have you done against the teams in the play-off positions this season and would you be confident of getting past them?

TWTD: It’s been a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve drawn against and beaten Derby and recently beaten Brighton at the AMEX, which was a result that really kick-started our promotion push. Because we are relatively late to the party we didn’t do well against some of them earlier in the season but we are a lot stronger now.

If we were to get 6th I think we are more than capable of beating whoever we get. At the time of writing it looks like we would get QPR and although we’ve lost to them twice this season I think we are stronger team to the one we were when we last played them in January.

CC: Do you think Mick McCarthy has what it takes to do well in the Premiership after his experience with Wolves?

TWTD: Mick McCarthy has a lot of experience in the Premier League and I think that would serve us well. With a few additions I think he would make us very hard to beat in any division.

CC: If you don't go up do you think you will hold on to the nucleus of the squad for next season - Johnny Williams seems to be one player that has done well for you on loan?

TWTD: I think it would be very important to keep the squad together. The hardest one to keep hold of will probably be Aaron Cresswell as he’s had clubs sniffing around him for a while now.

‘Joniesta’ has been a real catalyst for our season because he’s brought some much needed creativity behind the strikers. He is a very positive, forward thinking player and I think his positive style of play has rubbed off on some of the other lads and given us confidence to be more adventurous going forward.

CC: The TWTD talks about defender Aaron Creswell a lot so what qualities does he bring to the team?

TWTD: Aaron Cresswell is a great modern day full-back who has the engine to get up and down the pitch but he’s also got plenty of pace. He’s also got the ability to swing in a great cross, is strong from free-kicks and when he wants to can hit a powerful shot.

CC: Do you think the team could have won more games in March or were they just difficult fixtures?

TWTD: I think the game against Middlesbrough is one where we could of picked up some points but we came up against Wigan as they were making their surge up the league, so that was always going to be a difficult game.

The draw with Nottingham Forest is a game I thought we could have taken all three points but on the day they had chances as well.

CC: The Ipswich team we saw at Dean Court had been unbeaten away since September but what has the home form been like to watch of late - are Ipswich supporters nervous or excited?

TWTD: Nervous! Luke Chambers' goal in the dying minutes against Doncaster will have had everyone on the edge of their seat. With every game that pass’ with us getting three-points people start to think that maybe we go get sixth place and get into the play-offs for the first time since ???

CC: Has Daryl Murphy gone under the radar a bit in the media with David McGoldrick doing so well? I remember he scored against us!

TWTD: He’s one of those players that works hard and gets some goals along the way. The reason he has been in McGoldrick’s shadow a bit will be because they are different type of players. McGoldrick has a bit more class to him where as Murphy will usually score from inside the six-yard-box, not that that’s a bad thing!

If both of them were on form together they could form a formidable partnership but Murphy stepped up when Town needed someone to fill the void when McGoldrick got injured.

CC: How well did you feel Ipswich played in your last home game against Doncaster Rovers?

TWTD: Not bad at all! It was a bit of a nervous ending given that they scored a penalty in the 83rd minute but maybe you know it might be your year when you score the winner six minutes later!

CC: With the positions as they are and a top six position at stake would you rather be playing Bournemouth now than a team lower in the league at this stage?

TWTD: I don’t think you want to be playing a team who are in a relegation battle at this stage of the season. We all know that anyone can beat anyone in this division but I’d rather be playing Bournemouth.

CC: What can away supporters look forward to when they come and see the Portman Road stadium?

TWTD: First and foremost it’s a nice stadium with a bit of character to it, unlike some of the modern stadiums that feel as if they are all the same!

CC: What do you think the score will be when Ipswich play Bournemouth?

TWTD: I fancy us to take it 2-0, although we do play better when we go behind so maybe 2-1 is the better option! It will be a tough game given we are both after the same thing but I’d fancy us to edge it.

CC: Thank you for your answers Blair. It has been a long hard season at it will be a pleasure to come and visit Portman Road on Monday. While both teams can't get in the play-offs let's hope that at least one of them does and I also hope that it is a cracker of a game, because it is all set up for a must win for both sides.

For more views on Ipswich Town's season have a visit to TWTD.co.uk it's packed full of information and has a report on Town's last outing away at Watford.

Make sure you send in your score predictions for the game tomorrow and I'll post them up on the site as soon as I can.

Ipswich's youth and experience will need some containing

Ipswich Town are aiming for a top six spot this Christmas period and their form has been formidable in spells, although a few draws have hindered the speed of their rise up the table. Like so many Championship sides though, Ipswich are packing their team with some interesting young players.

Ones to watch out for include young 22-year-old Luke Hyam who was an academy product at Ipswich who plays in midfield. The unforgiving Tractor Boy fans booed him during their 1:1 draw with Watford, but to be playing in the team at his age means he has more than a bit of talent. But it's David McGoldrick who is their star man and Elphick and Ward are going to be busy keeping him at bay. The inform striker has already netted 11 times this season, including two against Doncaster in the last match, and is ably supported by Daryl Murphy who has 6 goals.

Another young striker they have is Frank Nouble, who has scored twice this season. Nice and small at 6ft 3in I don't think we'll miss this 22-year-old. He also has some pedigree having been at Chelsea and West Ham in his early career and he has loads of loan moves under his belt, plus U17 and U19 caps for England. Midfielder, Ryan Tunnicliffe is also a youngster at 20 years old and is on loan from Man Utd.

The Scottish international Christophe Berra will be the man Lewis Grabban will more than likely have to get the better of, while Luke Chambers is another experienced centre back that has played over 200 games for Nottingham Forest and scored last time out against Doncaster Rovers. 

So it's a good combination of youth and experience while Mick McCarthy certainly knows a thing or two having managed in the Premiership and in internationals right up to World Cup level. Still, the bigger they come ... !

Please take a look at Rival Lines today as well where you will be given even more information about Ipswich Town from a man in the know, Blair Furgeson who contributes to TWTD.