Grant Leadbitter will return to the Town midfield for tonight’s restaging of the Middlesbrough home game which was abandoned in February due to a frozen section of pitch (KO 7.45pm). The 26-year-old, back after a one-game ban for his red card against Burnley, looks set to come into Paul Jewell’s side for veteran Lee Bowyer.
Grant Leadbitter missed a penalty but then slammed in a stunning goal as Town drew 1-1 at home to Middlesbrough. After a dull first half, the visitors went in front via sub Lukas Jutkiewicz, Boro keeper Jason Steele having saved Leadbitter’s penalty, but the midfielder hammered in an equaliser with 16 minutes remaining.
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Blues boss Paul Jewell says striker Michael Chopra benefited from being left out of the starting line-up for most of January’s fixtures. Since his return in the 5-1 home hammering of West Ham, the 28-year-old has netted seven goals in 10 games taking his total to 14 for the season.
Town striker Michael Chopra has spoken with fondness of a loan spell at Watford, where he and his team-mates will be looking for victory today in order to keep alive their slim hopes of gatecrashing the play-offs.
Boss Paul Jewell felt his side should have been “out of sight” at half-time as Watford came from behind to beat the Blues 2-1 at Vicarage Road. Town’s winless run against the Hornets stretched to 15 games and back to 2004 with their last win on Watford territory having come a year prior to that.
Town’s Watford hoodoo stretched to 15 games as the Hornets came from behind to beat the Blues 2-1 at Vicarage Road. Paul Jewell’s men should have been more than Jay Emmanuel-Thomas’s goal in front at half-time, Michael Chopra having missed a sitter, but were second best after the break with goals from Sean Murray and Troy Deeney – the latter after a Carlos Edwards error - seeing the home side to victory.