Andy Marshall is poised for a swift return to the Ipswich Town side for this weekend's eagerly awaited East Anglian derby.
The Evening Gazette can reveal that James Pullen, who had a shaky first-team debut against Grimsby on Saturday, will play for Town's second string against Derby County reserves tonight (Portman Road, 7pm).
And he is likely to be on the first-team bench on Sunday for a game Town cannot afford to lose if they are to revive their push for promotion.
Blues boss Joe Royle knows the Carrow Road clash is vital so he is thought to be siding with the experience of Marshall at the expense of youngster Pullen.
The former Heybridge Swifts player gifted the Mariners their second goal with an awful blunder and Royle is unlikely to risk him in the pressure cooker atmosphere of a derby game.
Although Marshall has had an inconsistent season - and has been dropped on two separate occasions - rumours coming out of Portman Road suggest he will get the nod against his former club.
Royle would not comment and would only confirm that Pullen will play in the reserves tonight.
But he did, however, say that fringe first-teamers Alun Armstrong, Richard Naylor and Martijn Reuser will play some part against Derby's second-string.
Published Tuesday, February 25, 2003
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