IPSWICH Town's popular striker Alan Lee today looked ahead to the impending arrival of David Nugent and said: 'I will welcome him with open arms'.The Blues were found lacking in the final third of the field as they lost away for the first time this year 1-0 at a windy Stoke City on Saturday.

Elvin King

IPSWICH Town's popular striker Alan Lee today looked ahead to the impending arrival of David Nugent and said: 'I will welcome him with open arms'.

The Blues were found lacking in the final third of the field as they lost away for the first time this year 1-0 at a windy Stoke City on Saturday.

This knocked back their hopes of promotion from the Coca-Cola Championship with Plymouth's win seeing them take over from Town in the top six.

Nugent is set to decide whether to join the Tractor Boys on loan to the end of the season today or tomorrow, and Lee said:

“We must be pleased to have anyone new who can bring something to the table. We have one goal at this club. One goal that we are all aiming for. And that is to reach the Premier League.

“There is always competition if you are a football player, and I will welcome David with open arms.

“He is an England player and a class performer.”

Apart from a decent save by Steve Simonsen from a fierce second half shot by Velice Sumulikoski, Lee had the only other Ipswich chance at a chilly Britannia Stadium.

“Jon Walters pulled the ball back and I got it under control,” said Lee. “I had to shoot first time and the ball went just wide.”

Although disappointed with a defeat against the league leaders that makes it tough for Town to be seriously considered for an automatic promotion place, Lee says there is still every thing to play for.

He went on: “We matched Stoke and had more possession, but once the goal went in it was not easy playing into a gale in the second half.

“Neither keeper was very busy and we did not have the incision that we would have liked - particularly when we were chasing the game.

“We know we are good enough to beat anybody in the division - it is now a case of proving this in the remaining 12 games of the season.“