Rhodes' loss may be missing link

WITH just one goal in their opening two Championship matches are Ipswich missing the firepower of ace poacher Jordan Rhodes?

Elvin King

WITH just one goal in their opening two Championship matches are Ipswich missing the firepower of ace poacher Jordan Rhodes?

The youngster notched twice more for Huddersfield at the weekend to bring his tally to five for the season.

Blues manager Roy Keane admitted that he suffered a couple of sleepless nights pondering over the League One club's offer for a player that cost Ipswich �5,000 to bring in as a schoolboy from Barnsley.

In the end he felt that a fee that can rise to �850,000 was too good to turn down for a striker still unproven at Championship level.

He needed to get players out to be able to bring some in, but there will be extra pressure on �1.7million Tamas Priskin to find the net on a regular basis if Rhodes keeps popping in the goals for the Terriers.

There is no doubt that 16-year-old Connor Wickham has the pedigree to surpass Rhodes' likely future achievement, but there will be Town fans who saw enough of Rhodes to be convinced that the two could have provided the front power to shoot Town up the ladder to the Premier League, and then make a big impression when they get there.

Wickham's tender years means that experienced strikers are needed by Keane until the lad matures.

But it's up to Priskin, Jon Stead and possibly Pablo Counago to step up to the plate and prove themselves.

Ex-Town goalkeeper Kelvin Davis denied Rhodes and his team mates further goals as Huddersfield peppered the Southampton goal in a 3-1 victory.