IPSWICH Town have turned to former England coach Don Howe in a bid to give the Blues an extra edge ahead of Sunday's East Anglian derby.

Stuart Watson

IPSWICH Town have turned to former England coach Don Howe in a bid to give the Blues an extra edge ahead of Sunday's East Anglian derby.

Revered as one of the country's top mentors, the 71-year-old is today helping manager Jim Magilton prepare his side for the crunch clash with Norwich

While all eyes may have been on Prince Charles during his visit to Portman Road yesterday, it is the recruitment of the former England coach which could hold the key to success at Carrow Road.

For decades Howe was the man the household names of the game turned to.

When legendary Town manager Bobby Robson took over England after the 1982 World Cup, he appointed his former West Bromwich Albion teammate as chief coach.

Now Magilton is also tapping in to Howe's wealth of knowledge as Ipswich prepare for the trip to Norfolk.

Howe, who also assisted Terry Venables during his management of the national side, has taken up the invitation to spend a couple of days working with the Town first team and staff.

Magilton said: “I met Don when I was doing my A licence coaching badge and his knowledge of the game is so extensive.

“I have invited him down to the club this week to spend a couple of days with the players and the staff.

“He has looked at some of our games and will take a couple of sessions and I think it will be a great learning exercise for everyone.”

Howe was capped 23 times by England as a player and was part of the side which represented his country in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

During his domestic playing career Howe played for Arsenal as well as West Brom.

He also went on to manage both of the clubs.

During his time in management Howe was also in charge at QPR and Galatasary in Turkey.

However, he is best known as a coach. In that capacity he worked with several clubs including Leeds and Wimbledon, the latter when they won the FA Cup in 1988.