The Tractor Boys may have had a schedule conflict as a result of the Sky Blues.
The FA Cup match between Coventry City and Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend was an unexpected setback for Ipswich Town, who are currently pushing at the top of the Championship.
As the Sky Blues let two late goals at Molineux ruin their 1-0 advantage, very few would have been thinking about Ipswich’s scheduled April trip to the CBS Arena as they regained control of the game in the closing minutes to win 3-2. But Ellis Simms and Haji Wright’s two thrilling late goals might make an already difficult run-in for the Tractor Boys even more difficult.
The impact on Ipswich
Against all odds, Coventry defeated Wolves in the Premier League to get to the FA Cup semi-finals. They will now play Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.
The exact date and kickoff dates of the semifinal match have not yet been announced by the organizers. It is scheduled to take place on the weekend of Saturday, April 20.
What is known, though, is that the teams that are still in the cup will not be able to play their league games that weekend; therefore, the Saturday’s scheduled games will need to be rescheduled.
Since Coventry was supposed to host Ipswich on that Saturday, a new time for the game will need to be arranged; it will probably take place during the week.
Could it make the Tractor Boys’ difficult run-in even more difficult?
With the exception of the Coventry match, Ipswich already has five games in April against challenging opponents. The rescheduled match needs to be completed by the last day of the Championship season.
The EFL has stated that the last games in the second tier will take place on Saturday, May 4. Unfortunately for Ipswich, all teams will kick off early.
| Ipswich’s final run-in | ||
|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Venue | Date |
| Blackburn Rovers | Ewood Park | Friday 29 March |
| Southampton | Portman Road | Monday 1 April |
| Norwich City | Carrow Road | Saturday 6 April |
| Watford | Portman Road | Wednesday 10 April |
| Middlesbrough | Portman Road | Saturday 13 April |
| Coventry City | The CBS Arena | TBC |
| Hull City | The MKM Stadium | Saturday 27 April |
| Huddersfield Town | Portman Road | Saturday 4 May |
This implies that Ipswich’s formerly packed but mostly evenly distributed calendar will most likely now have a midweek match in April, and it will now occur either a few days before or after another significant league match.
It will also interfere with training plans and travel schedules that were probably already set at this time, giving the Tractor Boys an additional obstacle to overcome at a crucial portion of the season, even though it will allow them a free weekend to prepare and reorganize midway through the final run-in.
Although there isn’t much that might be done in mitigation, Ipswich supporters will be hoping that the success of their fellow Championship challenger doesn’t become a roadblock in the face of what would be an historic promotion for the side.