David Nugent aiming for a dirty dozen against Ipswich Town
David Nugent reacts to the Portman Road boo boys when scoring for Portsmouth in 2011. The Leicester striker has netted 11 times in 11 games against the Blues
Ipswich v Leicester: PORTMAN Road pantomime villain David Nugent hopes he can once again be a pain in the Blues’ neck tomorrow.
The Leicester City striker – who has scored an incredible 11 goals in 11 games against Ipswich – is rated as ‘50/50’ to play on Suffolk soil due to a neck injury of his own.
However, the 27-year-old will be assuring the Foxes’ fitness coaches that he is raring to go ahead of a trip to the away ground where he has been most prolific throughout his career.
Nugent has scored on all six occasions he has played at Portman Road – including one for the England Under-21s. In his 11 games against Town – for Preston, Portsmouth and Leicester – he has failed to score on just three occasions and is yet to taste defeat.
After scoring the winner in this fixture last April he playfully cupped his ears to the fans who had booed him. Then, in the build-up to the match between the sides at The King Power Stadium back in November, he revelled in declaring he had scored so many goals against Town ‘it was a joke’.
He duly scored twice in the opening 18 minutes of that match before being forced off with his recurring neck problem, the Foxes going on to win the game by a resounding 6-0 scoreline.
“David’s 50-50,” said Leicester assistant manager Craig Shakespeare. “He is improving every day and the physios are working on him constantly.
Most Read
- 1 Fuel protests: Twelve miles of queues reported on A12
- 2 Macauley Bonne: Town is not a closed book... I've got unfinished business
- 3 Suffolk's first blue badge prosecution for Haverhill woman
- 4 Man in 40s stabbed at town centre multi-storey car park
- 5 Road closed and person trapped in car after crash
- 6 7 of the prettiest cafes in Suffolk
- 7 Go-ahead given for 40 new homes in Suffolk village
- 8 Dobra signs for Cook's Chesterfield after Ipswich departure
- 9 Suspected drink driver arrested after three cars damaged in crash
- 10 Three Suffolk beaches named among 'most beautiful' in UK by Sunday Times
“We want to make sure he is 100%. He will be assessed leading up to the game and we will give him every opportunity.
“He will be bursting to play because of his record against Ipswich. Sometimes players have certain teams they have an Indian sign over. He always seems to do really well against them.
“Sometimes you can’t take that out of your body and his body will tell him if he is ready or not. You have to leave it to the player to a certain amount.”
NUGENT’S RECORD AGAINST TOWN
Preston (a) 1-1 – 1 goal
Preston (h) 0-4 – 2 goals
Preston (a) 1-3 – 2 goals
Preston (h) 2-3 – 1 goal
Preston (a) 0-1 – 0 goal
Portsmouth (a) 0-1 – 1 goal
Portsmouth (h) 0-0 – 0 goal
Portsmouth (a) 0-2 – 1 goal
Leicester (h) 1-1 – 0 goal
Leicester (a) 1-2 – 1 goal
Leicester (h) 0-6 – 2 goals
