FORMER Ipswich Town caretaker manager and 1999/00 Wembley play-off final hero Tony Mowbray is set to shuffle his pack for tonight’s visit of Middlesbrough to Portman Road for a Championship fixture (kick-off 7.45pm).

The Boro manager sees his former club as a different proposition to Sheffield United where Mowbray’s team won 2-1 on Saturday to move much closer to safety after a disappointing season.

When Ipswich beat Boro 3-1 in the opening game of the season, the north easterners were favourites to win promotion under the management of Gordon Strachan.

Mowbray has steadied the ship at a club where he also played, and he’s looking forward to a return to Suffolk.

He said: “Ipswich are a completely different team to Sheffield United so we have to approach the game accordingly.

“They will play with two wingers and pass the ball around.

“Their full-backs push forward and they’ve also got Jimmy Bullard who’s a very talented midfield player.

“I saw Ipswich score six at Doncaster so I know what they are capable of.

“We have to go out there with a fit team and play in a different way than we did at Sheffield United, but still set our stall out to try to win the game.”

Mowbray will dispense with Saturday’s deliberately defensive tactics, so Julio Arca is set to start with Merouane Zemmama likely to also come into the running if he recovers from a slight thigh strain.

Barry Robson has a slight thigh strain with Nicky Bailey a doubt after taking a knock at Bramall Lane.

Jewell, who recalls playing against Mowbray, said: “It’s difficult when you take over a team half-way through the season, when you are down the bottom fighting.

“You just want to make sure that you stay up, and then get a squad together over the summer months if you can.

“People would have been expecting them to be near the top of the division, I was, but they just haven’t for whatever reason.

“But I am sure Tony will keep them up. They had a good result on Saturday, and they will be a force next season.”