Ipswich Town: New signing Ben Godfrey to be involved in FA Cup tie against Bristol Rovers with striker George Hirst nearing return
An Ipswich Town striker is nearing a return after an injury layoff and new signing Ben Godfrey will be involved against Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup this weekend.
The 26-year-old defender recently arrived on loan from Serie A side Atalanta and manager Kieran McKenna confirmed Godfrey has trained hard in the build-up to Sunday’s game (3pm) at Portman Road.
It means the Englishman will likely get on the pitch against the Gas despite limited minutes in the first half of the 2024/2025 season.
McKenna said: “He’s good. He’s ready, he’s been training very hard. Atalanta are a team that do train very hard.
“Of course, he hasn’t had lots of match minutes lately, but he’s looked fit and ready in training.
“He’s fitted in with the group really, really well and he’ll be involved in the game on Sunday.”
McKenna added that frontman Hirst may feature this weekend following a knee injury he suffered in the 2-1 victory against Tottenham in November.
“George has got a chance to be involved,” the Blues boss said.
“It won’t be for a big chunk of the game, but he’s trained with the group today. It’s a big, big bonus for us, I have to say. Even just having him back in and around the group feels like a big boost.
“Hopefully, if everything goes well tomorrow in training, he’ll be available on the bench for Sunday. If it fits right, it’s possible for him to get some minutes.”
However, there are concerns over several Blues attacking players following a hectic period of festive fixtures.
McKenna said: “Conor Chaplin is a few weeks away still. Sammie Szmodics has an injury from the Fulham game, a tackle that he did really well to play through.
“We don’t know how long he’ll be out, to be honest. Hopefully it won’t be a very, very serious injury, but he’s in a boot at the minute with damage to his ankle. He’ll be assessed on Monday to get a little bit of a clearer picture on where he’s at.
“Omari (Hutchinson) will certainly be back, if everything goes well, for the Liverpool game. For the Brighton and Man City games, we’ll have to make a judgement as we go along.”
Axel Tuanzebe and Chieo Ogbene remain long-term absentees.
Ahead of Sunday’s third-round tie, Bristol Rovers head to Suffolk hoping to get to the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since the 2006/07 campaign.
The club appointed new manager Iñigo Calderón on Boxing Day and the Gas currently sit 20th in the third tier, five points off the relegation zone.
