IPSWICH Town will go into their biggest and most high profile game of the season without their top two strikers.And manager Jim Magilton is furious that Alan Lee will miss the FA Cup clash at Watford.

By Elvin King

IPSWICH Town will go into their biggest and most high profile game of the season without their top two strikers.

And manager Jim Magilton is furious that Alan Lee will miss the FA Cup clash at Watford.

Twelve-goal Lee's tenth booking of the campaign at Crystal Palace sentenced him to a two-match ban.

He must sit out Town's home Championship game with Leicester City on Saturday, and also the fifth round cup-tie at Premiership Watford seven days later.

His strike partner Jon Walters is ineligible having played for his previous club Chester City in the competition.

Lee is to be fined by his manager for going into the book for dissent after 79 minutes of Saturday's disappointing 2-0 defeat Selhurst Park.

“Alan Lee will be fined,” confirmed Magilton.

“It was an unnecessary booking for dissent and he will be punished.”

Lee, who picked up his second batch of five bookings in just 11 games, said that he did not realise the heavy price he would pay.

“I was not thinking that far ahead,” said the 28-year-old Republic of Ireland international. “But as I left Selhurst Park it suddenly hit me that I will miss the Watford match.”

Lee did not hold back in protesting to an assistant referee when he was flagged offside when going on a run.

The striker, who missed two good chances when Ipswich were by far the better team in the opening exchanges, could not disguise his displeasure at referee Martin Atkinson and his assistants.

“I was five yards onside when the flag went up,” said Lee. “I had the best view across the line, and it was a dreadful decision.

“And I was also hauled down by a defender when I went through in the first half. I was almost on the ground when I shot, and would have scored otherwise.

“It was a clear penalty and the referee praised me for my honesty in not going down.

“And it got worse for us when there was a clear handball before Palace scored their second goal.

“We are all very disappointed to have a lost a game that we thought we were good enough to win.

“I had not trained much last week and did not anticipate playing the full 90 minutes. My hamstring was a bit tight after the game, and the only plus side is that I will now have a two-week break to get it back 100 per cent.”

Fabian Wilnis went off at the interval with a swollen foot after taking a kick and he was having a scan today while Owen Garvan suffered a knock to his knee.