Mitchell vows to learn

SCOTT Mitchell has vowed to learn from his FA Cup experience against Premiership Bolton and be ready for his next call by Ipswich Town boss Joe Royle, writes Derek Davis.

The 19-year-old found himself back skippering the reserves in their 2-0 defeat by Watford last night, but is still hoping to at least make the bench against Coventry City in the Championship on Saturday.

Mitchell did a lot of good things in his fourth first team appearances but accepts he made errors which will be put down to his learning curve.

Mitchell said last night: "Bolton was the biggest day of my life and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were a lot of positives from the game for me, but also a lot of negatives, which I need to learn from but I'm still young and I will look at those aspects of my game.

"The manager knew it was my first game for month or two and he said he was pleased with me. With the squad as it is, and the season as long as it is, people are going to tire and I'm going to get another opportunity.

"The big thing is that I need to be prepared physically and mentally and ready to step in at a moment's notice if my chance comes again."

Winless Ipswich Reserves could not break their duck, going down 2-0 at Vicarage Road in a game Mitchell rates as tougher than playing Premiership Bolton.

He said: "Being a young player, you get a big FA Cup match against Bolton one day and then away at Watford reserves the next, and you just have to treat them the same.

"In many ways, it is a lot more difficult playing in the reserves. Obviously, the speed and the quality of the first team is harder and better but you know coming to places like Watford is very hard."

Mitchell's versatility is a bonus for the Academy product, as he is also able to play in midfield, but it was at full-back where he performed at Vicarage Road last night.

There were good showings from former Liverpool trainee John Paul Kelly, who showed promise as a deep midfielder, and released Arsenal Academy player Dean McDonald, who showed excellent feet but was sometimes too eager to please and didn't always do the simple things well.

Ipswich passed Watford to death for long periods of the first half but the final ball was never good enough.

They paid the price five minutes into the second half, when Andy Ferrell's thunderbolt from 25-yards beat Lewis Price, who had been largely redundant up to that point. The Wales Under-21 keeper will be disappointed to be beaten a minute later, though, when Anthony McNamee's angled shot whizzed by him.

Mitchell denied the Hornets a third with a solid block and Jerrome Sobers handled the experienced Bruce Dyer competently.

Town had to wait half-an-hour before getting a shot on goal but Pablo Counago's scuffed shot didn't match his sharp turn and former Ipswich and Colchester keeper Alec Chamberlain scooped it up with ease.

Moments earlier, the two triallists combined well, with Kelly feeding a good ball wide for McDonald. The former Arsenal youngsters teased a defender before beating him all ends up with clever skill but there was no one tall enough to challenge for his cross.

McDonald forced the veteran keeper into a good save from a 20-yard shot but Counago was ruled offside as he put away the rebound.

Chamberlain made an excellent save to push away a low drive from Dean Bowditch in a one-on-one situation. The Town striker had shaken off the effects of flu to play but it wasn't his night, with a neat piece of play ending with him hitting the crossbar with an 18-yard shot.

Daniel Flack, who has been told he won't be kept on at the end of the season, hit a long-range effort to no avail.

The teams

Watford Res: Chamberlain, Herd, Smith, Ferrell, Doyley, Mayo, Young, Dyer, Webber, Blizzard (Gilligan, 63) and McNamee (Diagouraga, 63). Unused subs: Kirk, Diafutua and Mariappa.

Ipswich Town Res: Price, Mitchell, Richards, Kelly (Atay, 89) Sobers, Patten, Manning, Flack (Webster, 78) Counago, Bowditch and McDonald (Leabon, 78). Unused sub: Boto.

Referee: Nick Kinseley (Essex).

Attendance: 200.