Brighton v Ipswich: Michael Chopra could be back in the Town line-up for tomorrow night’s visit to league leaders Brighton (7.45pm ko).

The striker has missed the last two games, a defeat against Charlton and Saturday’s draw with Barnsley, with a thigh injury.

But assistant boss Chris Hutchings, deputising for Paul Jewell in this morning’s pre-match press conference, had better news over the fitness of last season’s top scorer.

Hutchings, though, was less sure about young midfielder Luke Hyam’s chances of appearing at the Amex Stadium.

The Town number two said: “Michael are will be training today and as long as he comes through that, and we are feeling positive that he will, there is no reason why he can’t be included. That is a big plus.

“Luke Hyam has tweaked his back and is a little stiff. So we will assess him tomorrow and see what he is like.

“We are not quite sure at this moment in time but he is a quick healer and a determined lad. He won’t want to miss a game if he can help it.”

Jewell last week admitted he was hoping to add a loan striker – believed to be QPR’s DJ Campbell – to his ranks before the weekend trip to Oakwell.

After that was unsuccessful, Hutchings was equally doubtful about a new arrival before tomorrow’s daunting match.

He said: “You never know. We still have 24 hours so something could happen or it may not. We will have to wait and see how things develop. Things can happen quickly in football but it is a toss of a coin at the moment.”

One man who is unlikely to be signing on the dotted line at Portman Road is former Portsmouth and Tottenham defender Ricardo Rocha who Hutchings admitted hadn’t done enough during his trial to earn a full-time deal.