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‘They’re amazing players…it’s going to be a good battle for us’ - Town defender ahead of Newcastle test
Ipswich Town defender Dara O’Shea believes the Blues are ‘so close’ to their first home victory of the season ahead of facing Newcastle United at Portman Road this afternoon (3pm) in their last game before Christmas.Kieran McKenna’s side remain the only Premier League team yet to win on their own turf this season – with a record of drawn four and lost four – but find themselves only two points from safety following last weekend’s victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers.For O’Shea and the rest of his team-mates, maintaining belief has been fundamental in building the foundations for a successful season even when results at home have not swung their way.
Despite having to deal with a back injury (fracture) since before the Leicester City home match on November 2, Dara O'Shea has started Town’s last 13 matches - going back to coming in for the goalless draw at Brighton on September 14 Picture: Barry Goodwin“That’s the thing that people keep talking about is that first home win,” he said.“We’ve been so close and we know it’s there, we’ve just got to keep doing the same things we’ve been doing because we’ve been competing really well in games.“It’s just been moments that have let us down, maybe on another day things go differently. It’s looking on the positives, looking at what we’re doing and keep doing that.”Taylor-made for top flightLast Saturday’s victory at Molineux was dramatic, with Jack Taylor’s 94th-minute header earning the Blues all three points which opened a three-point gap between themselves Wolves.
Dara O'Shea pushes forward.Ipswich (blue) versus Crystal Palace.Premiership.Ipswich Town FC, Portman Road, Ipswich.Photo: Barry GoodwinTaylor’s goal came from a corner, proving how important set pieces can play this season. O’Shea was delighted for his international team-mate and believes he is getting closer to a goal of his own having threatened from dead ball situations in recent weeks. He said: “I’ve known Jack quite a while and his come-up story has been brilliant. Even at the start of the season he probably didn’t get as many minutes as he had hoped. Anytime he came on the pitch he put in a really good performance and had a real impact for us. “In training every day you can see the qualities that he has. Getting his first start the week before and probably not being happy to be on the bench again, but to have that mentality to come onto the pitch at a late stage and score the winner was amazing.“You can see by the celebrations that it was a great moment for us as a group and him as well.
Ipswich Town defender Dara O'Shea has spoke to the media ahead of the last home game at Portman Road before Christmas Picture: Phil Ham“I was in a similar position in the first half of last season where I felt like I was getting my head on everything and it just wasn’t going in. It’s promising for myself, if I wasn’t getting on the end of things I’d be asking myself questions.“I’m confident that it will come and confident that I’ll have a few goals this season, I’ve just got to keep at it and commit to our set plays.” Magpies squad full of ‘amazing players’"A win would be an incredible Christmas present"Kieran McKenna and Dara O'Shea give their thoughts ahead of the game against Newcastle United at Portman Road 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/oGp71mdtoz— BBC Suffolk (@BBCSuffolk) December 20, 2024 With Newcastle the final visitors to Portman Road before Christmas, O’Shea is aware of the threats that the Magpies have going forwards, particularly with the likes of Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon in their ranks.“They’re all amazing players,” the 25-year-old said. “They’ve got one of the most dangerous attacks in the league and we’re going to have to be on top of our game to nullify that.
Dara O'Shea was still suffering from the head injury picked up during the Crystal Palace game earlier in the week when the Blues faced AFC Bournemouth last time out at Portman Road Picture: Barry Goodwin“We know what the threats are and we’ve been working on that all week. It’s going to be a good battle for us and hopefully we’ll come out on top. “It’s going to take the same stuff we’ve been doing in recent weeks.“We’ve been playing some great football and giving teams a lot of problems, so it’s having that full performance and keep going to the end. “We’ve been disappointed with how we haven’t seen out games at home, so we’ve learned from that.“It’s a group that haven’t been in the Premier League before, so it’s learning on the job at times and getting them experiences.“Although they’re not good ones to enjoy when you lose a game, you do learn from them so it’s important.”‘It’s going to be a loud one’ On the impact of the home atmosphere, O’Shea added: “It’s going to be noisy. It always is at Portman Road, our home fans have been amazing there. It’s a really great place to come and play and especially to call your home.“Newcastle fans are very similar, passionate fans, so it’s going to be a loud one. These are the games you love to play in when the atmosphere is high and the games are high-quality too, it’s one of the best things as a player to have.”Different feel to BurnleyO’Shea has started more Premier League matches than any other player in the Town squad so brings his own wealth of experience at top flight level. A large number of those appearances came with Burnley last season, who were similarly involved at the wrong end of the table before ultimately falling to relegation at the end of the season.However, the Republic of Ireland international was keen to stress the key differences he has noticed between the Clarets last season and the Blues this time around and outlined his own personal aspirations for the next 12 months.He said: “From my own point of view it feels a lot more comfortable in a sense that we’re competing in games a lot more. At Burnley last season it was a matter of trying to stay in games, whereas now I feel like we’re competing really well and making it hard to play against.“I don’t think any team has come to Portman Road thinking they’re getting an easy game, which is a nice feeling to have as a player. “Just to have a great year with Ipswich and keep ourselves in the league. The position we’re in at the moment is down the wrong end of the table but I think there’s so much more to come from us.“Especially from the club as well, the club has grown so much too. It’s really exciting to be a part of this, so I’d say first and foremost for myself is to keep putting in performances, keep playing well and help the group grow.“That’s been the key word that’s been used in the last few weeks – belief and just believing in what we can do. We see it in games and it’s not something that we haven’t seen already, there’s been really promising moments and been great moments.“It’s just believing in ourselves and knowing that we have enough because we do have enough. It’s a long season but the games do run out, it’s just believing that the points are going to come and that the performances will keep showing.“That’s how we train every day. It’s always there to improve, we’re not just going through the paces out in training to tick another day off, it’s trying to improve, get better and trying to get to that end goal where we want to be.”