Ipswich v Bristol Rovers: Sutton's predictionspublished at 11:02 12 January
11:02 12 January
BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton has made his predictions for all 32 FA Cup third round games and given his verdict on who will make it into round four.
For this week's matches he is up against actor and musician Billy Bob Thornton, who is a Liverpool fan.
Sutton's prediction: 3-0
Less than two years ago this was a game in League One - which shows how far Ipswich have come, and so quickly.
Ipswich are giving staying up a real go. I can't help my feelings for them as an ex-Norwich player, but my admiration for them is growing on a weekly basis because they are competitive in every game and they always give themselves a chance.
Still, they must have been kicking themselves after their draw with Fulham on Sunday. That was not the first time they have conceded late on this season, and those careless goals are really costing them.
Ipswich are not going to struggle in this one though. They will have too much for Bristol Rovers, who are having a tough time in League One.
When is the FA Cup fourth-round draw?published at 10:00 11 January
10:00 11 January
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The FA Cup third round is well under way, with Premier League sides Everton, Fulham and Aston Villa the clubs already booking their places in the fourth-round draw with wins on Thursday and Friday.
But for other sides hoping for a healthy cup run this season, when will the draw take place?
The draw will be live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer following the conclusion of the Arsenal v Manchester United tie, which kicks off at 15:00 GMT on Sunday.
It will include 32 teams - with all third-round matches this weekend settled on the day - and the resulting ties will be played over the weekend commencing Saturday, 8 February.
McKenna on Hirst, Philogene and making changespublished at 16:29 10 January
16:29 10 January
Nicola Pearson BBC Sport journalist
Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to the media before Sunday's FA Cup third-round tie against Bristol Rovers (kick-off 15:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
George Hirst could return from injury, which would be a "big boost" for the side, while Conor Chaplin is still "a few weeks away" and Sam Szmodics is in a boot after being injured in the match against Fulham - he will be "assessed on Monday".
McKenna said new signing Ben Godfrey is "ready" to feature: "He has been training been very hard. He hasn't had a lot of match minutes recently but he has looked fit and ready in training. He will be involved in the game on Sunday."
On whether there could be more incomings or outgoings before Sunday: "You never know. Things can move a bit quicker than expected but also slower than expected. It is not where my focus is at the moment. We have been getting ready in training, not just for Bristol Rovers but we know the turnaround in games is pretty quick to Brighton and Manchester City."
Despite reports that Ipswich have agreed a deal with Aston Villa for Jaden Philogene, McKenna said: "Nothing to say really. He is still an Aston Villa player first and foremost. There is no deal or completion as far as I'm aware. Until that changes, or if it changes, then I'm sure the club will announce."
The Ipswich boss feels this round of the FA Cup "comes at a good time" after the busy Christmas period and confirmed there "will be changes to the team".
On how "special" the FA Cup is: "If you can win one or two rounds in this competition then everyone will start to dream a bit. Supporters, staff and players alike will all think what is possible. But that is not for now. Sunday is about doing best to get through to the next round."
McKenna said of defender Janoi Donacien, who has joined Chesterfield: "Just a great guy, positive energy, great vibe all the time, really good in the dressing room and has written his place in the history of the football club, like so many others in that group."
Hull received about £13.5m of the fee because Villa had a 30% sell-on clause in the agreement which took him to the KC Stadium.
The 22-year-old chose to rejoin Unai Emery's side but has managed just four starts, including against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and 11 substitute appearances.
Ipswich maintained their interest and have now convinced Philogene - who was keen on working with boss Kieran McKenna last summer - to move to Suffolk.
Cunha glasses offer helps reduce punishmentpublished at 14:47 7 January
14:47 7 January
Nick Mashiter BBC Sport football news reporter
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Matheus Cunha's offer to pay for new glasses for a member of Ipswich's security helped save him from a longer ban and heavier fine.
The Wolves striker was suspended for two games and given an £80,000 fine after clashing with a member of the Tractor Boys' security team last month.
He had been charged by the Football Association with misconduct following the altercation - where he snatched the glasses off the face of a security guard - at the final whistle of Wolves' 2-1 defeat at Molineux.
A regulatory commission initially considered hitting the 25-year-old with a £120,000 fine and a three game ban.
But in their written reasons the commission agreed Cunha's acceptance of the charge, his sincere personal apology and the offer to pay for new glasses were mitigating factors.
It also wrote: "The Commission unanimously agreed that a significant financial penalty was also appropriate, given the serious nature of the incident.
"It initially considered that a fine of £120,000 would be commensurate with the offence. However, it took account of the mitigating factors and decided to apply a similar 'discount' to that applied to the sporting sanction. It concluded that a fine of £80,000 would be appropriate."
In his witness statement Cunha explained his reasons, although the commission did not accept his version of events having studied the video evidence.
Tempers flared after Jack Taylor's injury-time header won the game for the visitors. Gary O'Neil was sacked as Wolves boss less than 24 hours later.
Cunha wrote: "As I tried to get closer to Rayan [Ait-Nouri] to make sure he was OK, I was suddenly surrounded by a lot of people. I felt like I was being shoved by the ITFC security personnel, so I shoved them back in an effort to break away from them to protect myself.
"It was never my intention to come into contact with Mr [redacted] and I certainly never meant to elbow him. I simply wanted to push him away from Rayan. Then all of a sudden, I remember Mr [redacted] turned round and had his hands on my shirt, and I shouted 'stop' but he kept hold of my shirt.
"I was surrounded by a large number of people, mainly ITFC personnel, so I remember feeling quite threatened at the time."
'An astute tactical shift by McKenna'published at 12:41 7 January
12:41 7 January
Richard Woodward Fan writer
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Ipswich Town have trended over a point per game in their past 10 Premier League matches.
While this does not seem much to write home about (or even blog about), extrapolated over the course of the season that is nearly 42 points and probable survival.
What is more, in the five-game form table, Town are 10th. But yes, the Blues are still in the relegation zone, behind Wolves on goal difference.
These metrics, however, help paint a brighter picture for Town fans. There is one notable downward trend, though.
Kieran McKenna's survival strategy was never likely to rely on bossing possession, unlike some of our promotion peers. However, his League One team dominated 60% of the ball on average across their 2022-23 promotion campaign (the most of anyone). Even in the improbable Championship promotion season last year, Ipswich averaged more than 50% possession.
But while there has long been evocative chat around Portman Road of 'McKenna-ball', has the Northern Irishman been slowly, secretly, evolving Town into a brutally efficient counter-punch team? More akin with the strategies deployed (to mixed effect) by one of his predecessors (hello, Mick McCarthy!)?
While Ipswich's average possession of 40.3% to date currently ranks 18th in the league, McKenna's side have recently relinquished even more of the ball. For the three games before the Newcastle thrashing, Town averaged 48% possession. In the three subsequent games, it has been 28%.
In part, that is due to the calibre of opposition, but it might be more relevant in demonstrating an astute tactical shift by McKenna to frustrate opponents and attack sparingly, but brutally.
It has worked in those three post-Newcastle games - only three goals conceded (just one in open play), four goals scored, and four points on the board against top half opponents.
Hopefully it is these particular trends that continue when Premier League battle resumes in a fortnight.
'Should bring quality' - your views on Godfrey signingpublished at 19:21 6 January
19:21 6 January
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We asked for your views on Ben Godfrey, who has joined Ipswich on loan until the end of the season.
Former Town defender Mick Mills said earlier [11:28] that he did not think the signing "rectified" the problems Kieran McKenna's side faced.
Here are some of your comments:
Richard: We do need defenders who are Premier League quality. Too many times we have lost points from winning positions due to defensive errors, not because of bad play but just that lack of Premier League experience. Shore the defence up and we can look forward hopefully to another season in the top flight.
John: I think we did Mick. AxelTuanzebe is out injured and then with recovery, rehabilitation and match fitness, who knows? Harry Clarke is not up to Premier League standard, which only leaves Ben Johnson as Dara O'Shea is needed in the three.
Andrew: He has England caps and should bring quality to the team - he also covers the right side with his versatility. He faces a fight to get into the team with the last three defensive performances though! We still need a striker and a right forward.
James: It's about improving the squad. This guy has played at the top level and is proven. He will add depth to our squad - he can play centre-back, full-back and in midfield.
Is history repeating for the promoted sides?published at 14:15 6 January
14:15 6 January
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
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There is still a way to go, but it is looking a remarkably similar story for the three promoted sides this season as it was last season.
Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton have taken just 35 points from 59 games between them – the exact same amount of points Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United had on this day last year who ended up being the worst promoted trio in PL history.
Southampton being the worst-side ever at this stage does not help, but it is uncanny how similar not just points total is, but also how similar their goal differences are to last year's trio.
'I'm not sure we needed another defender' - Millspublished at 11:28 6 January
11:28 6 January
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Former Ipswich defender Mick Mills spoke to BBC Radio Suffolk about the signing of Ben Godfrey on loan:
"I'm not sure that we needed another [defender] but if he wants to come and be a part of the group at the back end of the team then that's fine. He can cover injuries and loss of form.
"I don't think that's where we needed our first signing to be, but it's been made. The problem with January is finding players who are available. He was available - if we hesitated then maybe someone else would have taken him. I think we've decided that it's better to have one extra number.
"It doesn't particularly rectify the main areas that we should be strengthening - which I think is central midfield - but he will be a bonus to us.
"He's here, he wants to play, he's a decent player and it's nice to have him as part of our numbers."
What do you make of the signing, Ipswich fans? Do you agree with Mills, or do you think Godfrey can have a bigger impact on the squad?
Will: Probably a fair result. We need to take worse teams seriously or we will continue to falter. We can beat Chelsea away but not Southampton or Ipswich at home. We need to win the next few games to get back on it. Also, hats off to Raul Jimenez for keeping calm under pressure.
Terry: It was a poor performance by Fulham. Although they dominated possession, they had difficulty breaking down Ipswich's defence. Fulham should have had a penalty in the first half and then Town gave away a soft penalty in second half. They were very lucky to escape with a draw. Fulham clearly struggle against teams in bottom five.
Chris: When you line up with a goalkeeper, five defenders and two holding midfielders against a team in the relegation zone is it any wonder you don't score goals? You need more than three players trying to get in the other team's penalty area.
John: Wasn't Fulham's best day with the concession of two cheap goals and a failure to work the Ipswich keeper enough despite 73% possession. Still showed the resilience to come back against a side who are comfortably the best of the promoted teams and have a genuine chance of survival. Might have been a different outcome if the referee had sent Leif Davis off as he should have. The fact he also missed the foul for our first penalty lends credence to Marco Silva's post-match comments on his performance .
Ipswich fans
Bruce: I would've taken one point but it stings to have three points taken away like they were. I can't see how either penalty was fair on Christian Walton, but that's football. We're going to need some good stuff to get a point out of the rest of January, and those three points really would have made the table look rosier. I back Kieran McKenna and back the squad - they really look like they belong, but they need to see out games like this.
Alex: Great game. We should have won that, if not for some silly mistakes! Liam Delap is on form again.
James: It's hard to know whether to look on this as one point gained or two points dropped, having taken the lead twice. I think that, on reflection, we should be pleased with the result against a solid top-half team. More importantly, we should be proud of another excellent all-round performance. On another day, Jack Clarke's strike goes in off the post and we aren't left to rue a second penalty decision against us, but it's a sign of our undoubted progress over the season that we are disappointed with just the one point.
Tim: Generally a great performance. We were set up so well but conceded two penalties that were both naive. Davis didn't get back in time, arrived late and made a poor decision that cost us the three points. Overall, I'm pleased with a solid performance and a hard fought point.
'There's no doubt Tuchel will be looking at him'published at 08:54 6 January
08:54 6 January
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Former Premier League striker Alan Shearer highlighted Liam Delap as Ipswich's standout performer against Fulham:
"As a centre-forward, I always said to myself that you have to be aggressive. You have to come off the pitch and ask yourself if you've give the centre-halves a tough afternoon. There is no doubt that he can say that after this game.
"He held the ball up, he ran in behind and when his team were under pressure he won free-kicks to ease that pressure. He was a nuisance to play against. I loved his aggression right from the off.
"He has got eight goals this season and Ipswich have only scored 20 themselves. That tells you how impressive he has been. You've got a really confident, young footballer who is only going to get better.
"We're not blessed with English strikers ad there's no doubt Thomas Tuchel will have a good look at him."
Analysis: Fulham 2-2 Ipswichpublished at 17:43 5 January
17:43 5 January
Sam Drury BBC Sport journalist
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Ipswich may have ended up having to settle for one point rather than three but this was another encouraging display.
Despite allowing Fulham almost 73% possession, they restricted the home side to very few chances in open play.
They defended resolutely and when the opportunity to counter-attack presented itself, there was no hesitation in getting numbers forward to support Liam Delap.
Sammie Szmodics' opener was a prime example of that with wing-back Ben Johnson advanced enough to ghost in at the far post and head Nathan Broadhead's cross onto the bar in the lead up.
Delap was a handful throughout and Broadhead also came close to doubling Ipswich's lead before the first of Raul Jimenez's two penalties for Fulham.
The manner in which Ipswich responded to the the first of those two spot kicks could not have been better.
They were quickly on the front foot to win a penalty of their own, which Delap buried.
Not managing to hold onto to take all three points will undoubtedly frustrate Ipswich and closing out such matches could prove crucial if they are to stay up.
But equally, so too could hard-fought points on the road. Especially if they can maintain the performance level shown in their last two games.
'The players are approaching the games in the right manner'published at 16:32 5 January
16:32 5 January
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Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to Sky Sports after the game: "When you lead twice, you always feel a little bit disappointed not to win. I'm so proud of the way we played. We had some chances to get a two-goal margin but we weren't able to take them.
"It's frustrating. Look, we look on this game and the last game with a lot of pride in what we are doing and we will keep on going.
"We had to defend a lot and I thought we managed the second half well. The players are right in it together and are approaching the games in the right manner.
"I don't know where we are exactly in the table. We are just focusing on ourselves.
"We've got a little pause for the FA Cup and then we look forward to Brighton and Manchester City."
On signing Ben Godfrey on loan: "We wanted to add to that area. Ben is a good player and an experienced player.
"That will be a good boost for us in the second half of this season."
Fulham 2-2 Ipswich: Key statspublished at 16:13 5 January
16:13 5 January
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No team have conceded more goals through penalties in the Premier League so far this season than Ipswich Town, with all five spot kicks they have conceded being converted.
With just 2 minutes and 44 seconds between Raul Jimenez equalizing from the penalty spot for Fulham in the 69th minute and Liam Delap putting Ipswich ahead from his spot kick in the 71st minute, it was the shortest gap on record between two penalty goals in a single half of a Premier League game (since 2006-07).
Chelsea's Cole Palmer (13) is the only Englishman to score more goals than Ipswich Town's Liam Delap (8) in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.
Fulham 2-2 Ipswich - send us your thoughtspublished at 15:58 5 January
