IPSWICH boss Jim Magilton has vowed to keep faith with Lewis Price, despite admitting he was disappointed with the goalkeeper's display last time out.Price will be in goal for tonight's visit of Preston after a heart-to-heart with the Town manager following Saturday's 5-1 home thrashing by West Bromwich Albion.

By Mel Henderson

IPSWICH boss Jim Magilton has vowed to keep faith with Lewis Price, despite admitting he was disappointed with the goalkeeper's display last time out.

Price will be in goal for tonight's visit of Preston after a heart-to-heart with the Town manager following Saturday's 5-1 home thrashing by West Bromwich Albion.

Magilton said: “Lewis was outstanding for Wales on the Wednesday and he knows I was disappointed with him in our game. He wasn't good enough.

“I'm not afraid to say it and I'm not afraid to say it to him, but overall he has been great for us. When he came into the side it coincided with us doing better.

“He is probably the most professional person at this club, along with the other keeper, Shane Supple.

“Lewis was on a high after making his first start for Wales and I know he will be self-critical, that's the way he is.

“He's going to play against Preston, he knows I'm expecting more from him.”

But while Magilton was quick to nail rumours of a possible change in goal, he was keeping his other cards typically close to his chest.

“There will be changes,” he said. “When you get beaten heavily at home, and you consider the manner of the defeat, you have to do something about it. I will make more than two changes. Kevin Phillips should not have a free header in our box and too many of our players had an off day. The front two were feeding off scraps.

“When we have dominated games it has been after starting well. I expect my players to rise to the occasion. How we start will determine how we finish.”

Magilton also said he expected more from his full-backs and a recall tonight for Dutch veteran Fabian Wilnis would surprise no one.”

Meanwhile, the Town boss confirmed he is keen to add at least one more loan signing to his squad - “to give us a lift and add a bit more quality.”

Preston come to Portman Road on the back of an unbeaten nine-game run that has seen them climb to third spot in the Championship.

Their run is all the more impressive for the fact that it includes defeats of leaders Cardiff and fourth-placed West Bromwich Albion.

Oddly enough, strike partners David Nugent and Danny Dichio have been finding goals hard to come by, with the latter climbing out of his sick bed on Saturday to net his first in 42 games since joining from Millwall 15 months ago.

England Under-21 star Nugent, meanwhile, has failed to score in eight games but appears to enjoy playing against Town, with five goals in three games since his bargain move from Bury in January last year.

Four-goal top scorer Patrick Agyemang missed the 4-1 win over Sunderland and will still be sidelined tonight.

SQUADS

IPSWICH: Price, Wilnis, De Vos, Bruce, Harding, Brittain, Noble, Walton, Richards, Lee, Macken, Naylor, Sito, Legwinski, Currie, Bowditch, Clarke, Barron, Peters, Miller and Supple.

PRESTON: Nash, Alexander, St Ledger, Chilvers, Hill, Sedgwick, McKenna, Pugh, Whaley, Dichio, Nugent, Davidson, Neal, Wilson, Ormerod, Smith and Lonergan.

Referee: Paul Melin (Frimley).