A WIN today in the FA Youth Cup could be the catalyst for the seniors to get their season back on track.That is the hope of academy boss Sammy Morgan when his side take on Watford in their replayed FA Cup fifth round tie sat Portman Road.

Derek Davis

By Derek Davis

A WIN today in the FA Youth Cup could be the catalyst for the seniors to get their season back on track.

That is the hope of academy boss Sammy Morgan when his side take on Watford in their replayed FA Cup fifth round tie sat Portman Road.

After the crushing disappointment of the first team's loss at home against Southampton, Town need a morale-booster and skipper Luke Hyam and his team-mates can adopt a no fear approach.

Morgan said: “There is no pressure on the boys to win the cup. The biggest pressure, if anything, is playing when things are at a low ebb after Tuesday night.

“I like to think while the first team don't have a game to put it right we can perhaps lift the spirits a wee bit and help lift everyone for next Tuesday at Wolves.

“Obviously the training ground gets affected. It is a barometer of what is happening. When things are going well the place is buzzing and when it is not going quite so well things are a bit more subdued and that is felt around the building and the lads are aware of that.”

While the Blues side have their fair share of quality performers, Morgan believes their strength lay in the team work and in particular little combinations around the pitch, Ronan Murray and Connor Wickham up front for example.

He said: “I watched these two come through together and they are lovely to watch. They can both score and have great belief in each other and themselves. They are good characters and have a great attitude.

“I had a lot of these boys at under-15 and 16 level and knows what makes them tick. They area decent group and have gelled well with the second year group.

“We have some good boys here with a toughness inside them to go on and do well.

“We will try and pass and play it the Ipswich way because we want to win and we want to do it the right way.”

Town will be without Bermudan international Reggie Lambe who is suspended but Morgan is confident will cope without him.

He added: “Reggie was lively and sharp in the first game and will be missed. If I was Watford I would be pleased he is not playing so whoever comes in will have to be as big a pain as he was during the match.”

Entrance for today game which kikcs off at 3pm is �1 across the board. The match needed to be replayed after the original toe was abandoned after 88 minutes due to a waterlogged pitch and torrential rain.

A one minute round of applause will be held before the game as tribute to Town fans and youth players' sponsor Ashley Cousin who died last month aged 45.

The winners will play Birmingham City away in the quarter final while Liverpool lay in wait in a two-legged semi-final.

Ipswich Town: Ward, McLoughlin, Clemo, Dunbar, Eastman, Watson, Ainsley, Hyam, Cawley, Wickham, Murray, Daniels. Clark, Griffiths, Brandon.

derek.davis@eadt.co.uk