Ipswich Town need to get back on track during clash against Bristol Rovers after FA Cup exit

Here we go again. Ipswich Town exit the FA Cup in disastrous fashion and now the pandemonium of Alan Judge’s last minute winner away at Lincoln seems a distant memory.

Despite Town sitting second in the league, with the best defensive record and four points ahead of third, it seems Paul Lambert now has to prove himself again to the fans, who are becoming more and more frustrated with this squad rotation policy and lack of goals.

Town have won just one game in nine attempts and that is by no means promotion-worthy form, which means Saturday’s visit of Bristol Rovers has now become gigantic in the grand scheme of things.

Rovers sit fifth in league and after watching fellow league members Accrington, Rotherham and Coventry all beat Town, The Pirates will see no reason why they cannot come to Portman Road and get a result.

So, what can we expect from the blue-and-white half of Bristol? Well, with 24 goals conceded, clean sheets have been hard to come by and James Norwood and Kayden Jackson should be licking their lips at the prospect of facing a defence which is likely to give them chances.

At the top of the pitch, they’ve scored almost the exact same as The Tractor Boys, which means this game could be decided by who wins their midfield battles and gets an early foothold.

No game is easy in this division, but with The Blues’ last three games and the next two all against teams in the top six, it’s vital Paul Lambert starts to gain some ground on his rivals and finish what has been a horrific calendar year with some positivity.

Some fans are now beginning to question Lambert on his tactics, and a ring of boos echoed around Portman Road on Tuesday night, the first time he would have witnessed an irate Ipswich Town crowd.

But you can bet he will be desperate to change that on Saturday.