IPSWICH Town need a win against Coventry City in Roy Keane's first match at Portman Road as manager to cement a ninth place Coca-Cola Championship finish.

Elvin King

IPSWICH Town need a win against Coventry City in Roy Keane's first match at Portman Road as manager to cement a ninth place Coca-Cola Championship finish.

Three points will give them 66 points - three less than they achieved under Jim Magilton when finishing eighth and one point off the play-offs in 2007/08.

Keane has made an excellent start to life with the Blues, and is tipped to lead Town to three consecutive wins for the first time this season against an out-of-sorts Sky Blues. But he will already be looking ahead and looking to solutions to improve performances at Portman Road.

Ipswich have won just seven league games on Suffolk soil this term, which has ruined their chances of promotion.

This is in contrast to last season when Ipswich won 15 games at home, but only three away.

If Magilton had managed to marry last season's home form (52 points) with this season's away form (33 points) he would have clinched automatic promotion reasonably comfortably. But if he had achieved last season's away form (17 points) with this season's home form (30 points so far) Ipswich would be facing relegation now.