IPSWICH Town players are going to have to adapt to a rutted Portman Road pitch if they are to stretch their home unbeaten run that currently reads 10.

Elvin King

IPSWICH Town players are going to have to adapt to a rutted Portman Road pitch if they are to stretch their home unbeaten run that currently reads 10.

Head groundsman Alan Ferguson and his staff have until February 27 for the next home game to repair the damage done in last Tuesday's FA Youth Cup game against Fulham that was played in pouring rain.

Ipswich defender Liam Rosenior says that the Portman Road playing surface could become an obstacle that the players are going to have to overcome.

“Our pitch has been unbelievably good,” Rosenior said. “But on Saturday it was not conducive to good football.

“Our fans were maybe disappointed at the way we played, but it was not easy and I felt sorry for keeper Arran Lee-Barrett every time he had to take a back pass.

“You really had to concentrate on your first touch and a few of my crosses were not to my usual standard. This is something we are going to have to get used to.”

Rosenior feels the arrival of loan front men Daryl Murphy and David Healy is going to give Ipswich a timely boost.

“They both showed what good players they are,” he said.

“How nice it was to see a cross into the six-yard box get taken advantage of.

“They are Premier league players and against a former England squad member and a former captain of Celtic they both showed up well on Saturday.

“And they are going to get better as they find their feet.

“Against a side with the talent that Middlesbrough had we were never going to have it our own way all game.”

Alex Bruce, who is on loan from Ipswich to Leicester City, made his Foxes debut as an 89th minute substitute in the 2-1 win at Blackpool.

Striker Tamas Priskin played the first 65 minutes on his QPR debut in the 1-0 defeat at Peterborough, but Town fans will be more pleased about another loanee's display.

Liam Trotter helped Millwall to a 2-1 victory over Norwich City at the Den after the midfielder extended his spell with the Lions to the end of the season.

Former Blue Scott Barron was also in the Millwall side which came from behind to defeat the Canaries.

A fourth Ipswich loanee, Tommy Smith, was involved with Brentford as they beat Gillingham 4-0.