IPSWICH Town fans will be taking reports that Plymouth's David Norris is the £1million target for Blues boss Jim Magilton with mixed feelings.When Marcus Evans took control of the club with a promise to pump £12million into the coffers for immediate use, expectation levels were high that players above the level of Norris would be on Magilton's radar.

By Elvin King

IPSWICH Town fans will be taking reports that Plymouth's David Norris is the £1million target for Blues boss Jim Magilton with mixed feelings.

When Marcus Evans took control of the club with a promise to pump £12million into the coffers for immediate use, expectation levels were high that players above the level of Norris would be on Magilton's radar.

The 26-year-old midfielder may be doing a decent job for Plymouth in the middle of the Championship, but he is at his peak and can be considered to be little more than a journeyman performer.

He may provide extra grit in midfield that will add something to Town as they try to arrest their poor away form, but so could a whole number of players who will be available during the transfer window.

Magilton will be competing against a growing number of clubs who now have considerable sums to spend like QPR and Leicester City, but fans were no doubt hoping for bigger names than Norris to help the Blues get back to the Premier League.

And the £12million has to cover the player's wages with a four-year deal likely to take up £2million as a conservative estimate.

The player in question could well be Norris, but Magilton has learned to be cute in his dealings with the media over possible signings.

However, there is no other player who appears to be in Magilton's thoughts.

The manager is still weighing up his options about upping his initial bid after a reported £1million offer was rejected on New Year's Day.

Whether a newcomer will be signed in time for Saturday's FA Cup third round game against Portsmouth remains to be seen.

Town are expecting a crowd in excess of 20,000 with the Blues having reduced ticket prices.

Ticket office manager John Ford said: “The phones have been red-hot.

“The win over West Brom would have helped, but there is certainly an appeal among the supporters about the game against a Premier League side.

“Portsmouth have sold close on 1,400 tickets for the game and more will come up on the day, and we have sold around 1,000 to Town supporters today only, so we could be looking at a 20,000 crowd, which I'm sure will hold up well against other FA Cup attendances on the day.”

Adults prices for Saturday's game have been set at £20 with student and concession tickets at £10 and under-16s able to buy a seat for £5.