Ipswich Town face an early relegation six-pointer when they travel to the Madejski Stadium to take on Reading on Saturday afternoon.

Paul Lambert’s side are rock-bottom of the Championship, but he drew his first match in charge after replacing Paul Hurst who was sacked at the end of last month.

Ahead of the clash, the Tractor Boys’ new boss has issued an injury update with a few players set to miss out on the crucial battle at the bottom of the league.

Teddy Bishop is still out despite returning for the U23s on Wednesday afternoon, with Lambert saying they mustn’t ‘overtrain’ the 22-year-old.

Myles Kenlock is a doubt as he is short of match fitness.

Ellis Harrison, meanwhile, is sure to miss out this weekend but should be fit and available in three week’s time after the international break.

One of Hurst’s signings, Jon Nolan, is also doubtful for the trip to Berkshire with a dead leg.

Lambert said he is ‘doing well’ but has ‘not been training.’

With a new manager comes new training techniques and the Ipswich boss said injuries are to be expected when you change a routine.

Speaking to the club’s official media, he said: “We’re not too bad with injuries. We’ve got a couple, but that’s expected because the training has been different.”

The Verdict 

It seems as if it is as you were for Ipswich this weekend with all the players out, or doubtful, being the ones who missed last week’s draw. 

Once they are all fit, then Paul Lambert will have a bigger pool of players to pick from, increasing competition for places in all areas and allowing the club to hopefully thrive again.

Jon Nolan could be a key player under Lambert with several of the other players out all influencers in their own ways, too.

One thing for sure is, when Ipswich have a full team and the luxury of the January window, you would expect them to see their results improve.