Ipswich Town v Plymouth Argyle 
Saturday 14th January 2023 – 15:00
Portman Road
Pre-Match Thoughts - Mike
Prior to last weekends Home FA Cup tie with Championship strugglers Rotherham Utd many Town fans were stressing what a good benchmark it would be to see just where we were and how far we had come as a team, could we cut it, are we good enough to even think about going up, that type of thing, well I think the 4-1 thrashing answered all those questions and more, while Rotherham may not be the hardest test from the Championship they are still there on merit and we despatched them with little trouble, not only was the score emphatic but the all round performance was pretty one sided too. I think it shows Championship Football would be well suited to Town due to the time and space players are afforded in that division compared to the in yer face clogfest we get in L1.
Finding ourselves in round Four is not something that has come about too often in recent years so watching the draw made a welcome change, being drawn at home was always the number one request and the pundits duly obliged, next up many wanted either the scum or a Premiership side and while the scum did their usual disappearing act we got the next best thing to a top tier side as Championship leaders Burnley were handed a trip to Portman Road in Round Four. For me it's a very good draw and allows us to pit our wits against superior opposition, there is no doubt Vincent kompany has them flying and winning games for fun so this is again a game that should be played in a style to suit us, while it could well be a bridge too far you just never know in the FA Cup, the stadium should be rocking.
With the January Transfer Window now in full swing Town have wasted little time in adding to their squad and the additions look pretty impressive not to mention attack minded, Midfielder Massimo Luongo is joined by Strikers Nathan Broadhead (Full Signing) & George Hirst (Loan Deal), the signing of Broadhead on a Three and a Half year deal seems to be the One setting pulses racing and he certainly looks a good buy for the 1.5 Million Town have splashed on him, he has scored goals at this level and should have little trouble tacking the move in his stride. Hirst too has scored goals at this level and he finally makes the move to Portman Road after he originally looked to be on his way in the Summer.
Our fire power now looks pretty awesome and it begs the question if someone is going out in the opposite direction, with Five Strikers on the books someone is going to be pretty unhappy every match day, I do question if Gassan Ahadme may well be in for a short lived stay in Ipswich, time will tell on that one. debate still rages as to where we should be strengthening and while I am more than happy with our business so far I still remain hopeful of a defender to shore up the all too often leaky defence, there is still plenty of time and fingers crossed Mr Ashton is "on it" as we speak.
I think there is zero doubt that this weekends game is absolutely massive for several reasons, the game is already sold out, has been for a day or Two as we welcome league leaders Plymouth Argyle to Portman Road for an enthralling top of the table clash which promises to be a cracker. With the Pilgrims already Seven points ahead of us defeat is just not an option for Town, a draw would also leave us with a lot of work to do to catch them but not insurmountable while a victory would have us breathing right down their necks with that crucial game in hand, it really is all to play for.
Like us Plymouth have been very busy in the transfer market with at the time of writing five new faces through the door so they are not sitting back on their laurels by any means, the loss of Morgan Whittaker was clearly a blow and it remains to be seen if any of these step up to take on the mantle of their main man. Their first game without their talisman was a uninspiring goalless draw at Bolton Wanderers which in itself is not a disaster but still leave Plymouth finding things hard on their travels. Let's hope they find it even harder this weekend.
I await with interest the line up Kieran McKenna selects for such an important game, does he go tried and trusted or does he go brave and start with some new faces ? personally I think we will see all three new arrivals on the bench with the guarantee of a run out as the game progresses, let's not forget Conor Chaplin & Freddie Ladapo are in pretty good scoring form themselves right now. Whoever takes to the field need to know this is massive and while not quite season defining it could go a long way to shaping our destiny, I am totally convinced and confident, the Boy's will be prepared and up for it, let's hope things go our way for a change and the fickle finger of fate stays away. I have been told all week we will score three, Four, Five goals now so it's a comfortable home win for me. COYB'S
The Opposition – Plymouth Argyle Honours
Third Division / League One (Tier 3)
Champions (4): 1929–30, 1951–52, 1958–59, 2003–04
Runners-up (8): 1921–22, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1974–75, 1985–86
Southern Football League (Tier 3)
Champions (1): 1912–13
Runners-up (2): 1907–08, 1911–12
Fourth Division / League Two (Tier 4)
Champions (1): 2001–02
Runners-up (1): 2016–17
Promotion (1): 2019–20
Play-off winners (1): 1995–96
Western Football League
Champions (1): 1904–05
Runners-up (1): 1906–07
South West Regional League
Champions (1): 1939–40
The Manager – Steven Schumacher
League Table
Form Guide
Ipswich Town
10 Dec Ipswich Town 2 - 1 Peterborough
17 Dec Wycombe 1 - 0 Ipswich Town
26 Dec Ipswich Town 3 - 0 Oxford Utd
29 Dec Portsmouth 2 - 2 Ipswich Town
2 Jan Lincoln City 1 - 1 Ipswich Town
Plymouth Argyle
17 Dec Plymouth 2 - 1 Morecambe
26 Dec Cheltenham 0 - 1 Plymouth
29 Dec Plymouth 1 - 0 Wycombe
1 Jan Plymouth 3 - 1 Milton Keynes
7 Jan Bolton 0 - 0 Plymouth
Head to Head
Match Referee – Andy Woolmer
IPSWICH TOWN 2 PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 1
That’d demoralise everyone, and put Plymouth 10 clear, and with their 5 new additions at the time of writing (as per write up) .,… that aint getting clawed back. Add in the shenanigans of SheffWeds……. for me, hugely defining….. On a par with the Lincoln result type of defining. At this stage, IF ITFC are serious, the real deal, a promotion chasing, championship side in the making, home WINS are imperative, especially against the rival who are threatening to open the gap. 
