Ipswich will have too much quality for Fleetwood, Port Vale can win in Essex and Wednesday can take another three points in this week’s boosted / treble for the NTT20 Podcast team…
“Port Vale can suffocate Colchester with a strong defence, and pierce them at the other end with their array of attacking options.”
Since Kieran McKenna’s appointment in December, Ipswich Town have picked up two points per game – generally considered automatic promotion form – and have moved up three places from 12th to 9th. In order to rise a further three places up to the table and extend their season into the play-offs, they must put away teams in the bottom portion of the table.
Fleetwood and Ipswich’s recent performances have been miles apart. In each of their most recent games against Portsmouth and Wigan, Fleetwood mustered just five shots – their joint lowest offerings of the league season so far.
In Ipswich’s last two games – against Morecambe and Cheltenham – they racked up their two highest shot counts of the season so far. In fact, the four games in which they’ve taken the most shots all season have all come in the last four weeks.
Since McKenna’s arrival, Ipswich have been a defensive monster, so well organised that they’ve kept eight clean sheets in 12 games, conceding just five in that time.
The attacking side of things took a while to warm up, but the signs of increased threat are clear. The Tractor Boys are trending upwards in terms of dominance, and the results will follow.
Their record against teams in the bottom is W11 D3 L0. This reflects the quality in their squad, which should show here on the Fylde Coast.
A Win Away In Essex?
Colchester may have been the better side againsr Orient in midweek, but their injury time concession of an equaliser reflected the lack of confidence and game management in this team, whose last 17 games have seen just two wins, seven draws and eight defeats.
Three of the draws came against the current top three: Forest Green, Tranmere, Northampton, and they were the better side in draws against Rochdale and Harrogate.
The Vale defence is particularly strong – they have only conceded six goals in their last 10 games, and it’s very rare that they concede more than one goal, which means they are always in games.
Port Vale can suffocate them with a strong defence, and pierce them at the other end with their array of attacking options.
Wednesday to win on the road
The form lines for these teams couldn’t be more different: in the league, Lincoln have lost three in a row, five of their last seven, 10 of their last 16. Sheffield Wednesday have won three in a row, seven of their last eight, nine of their last 13.
Lincoln seem to have a much worse time playing in front of their own fans – they’ve lost 10 of their 18 home league matches. It’s a disgruntled fanbase that have sat through two defeats-to-nil against clubs in the relegation zone in the last few weeks, and now has the league’s form team coming to town.
Sheffield Wednesday have been demonstrating dominance in games ever since mid-January. The only games they have lost in that time came against Oxford United and Rotherham. In both, the opposition managers admitted that Wednesday had been the better team.
The Owls are getting goals from all over the pitch, Barry Bannan is orchestrating things from an advanced midfield role, and the free-flowing attacking football that Darren Moore promised is there for all to see.
But for a significant resurgence from a Lincoln City side with little to play for, a huge blip from a motivated and in-form Wednesday, or both, this game should go to form.
Source: BetFair Tips
