OVERVIEW

LEISTON welcome an Ipswich Town XI to the Watson & Hillhouse Stadium this evening in the Endeavour Automotive Suffolk FA Premier Cup quarter-finals.

The home side will be looking to bounce back after three league defeats on the bounce, although there was a win in between those games in the Premier Cup when the Blues defeated Lowestoft Town 2-1, George Quantrell and Ben Fowkes on target for Leiston.

A late solitary Fowkes strike had seen off Bury Town in the first round of the competition before the round two win over Lowestoft.

Meanwhile, Ipswich Town have beaten Stowmarket Town on penalties after the match finished 0-0 and won 6-0 at Cornard United in round two.

In team news for Leiston, Wyatt Hill is again expected to feature after recovering from concussion but Billy Johnson (suspended) and Seb Dunbar will miss the match. Eddie Jackson is doing well after dislocating his ankle at St Ives Town and is hoping to be back in training soon.

The winners of the clash head into the semi-finals, where they will join Felixstowe & Walton United, AFC Sudbury and Needham Market.

THOUGHTS OF THE LEISTON BOSS

LEISTON manager Chris Wigger had this to say ahead of tonight's game.

“Any club that considers itself a decent side in Suffolk wants to have a go at winning the Suffolk Premier Cup,” he said.

“It is something that has eluded me so far and it is something I would like to achieve. Ipswich Town will be an unknown quantity as you never know what level of opposition you are going to be up against, whether they will be under-18s or a mixture.

“It will be a tough game against a side who train full-time and are fitter and sharper than us, so we will have to make it a proper game of non-league football.”

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

LEISTON have faced an Ipswich Town XI more than any other side in the Suffolk FA Premier Cup The sides first met in the competition in the final of the 2007 Suffolk Premier Cup, with Ipswich Town winning 8-0 at Portman Road.

The sides next met in the competition in November 2008, just a week after Leiston went out of the FA Cup first round to Fleetwood Town. Ipswich won 3-0 at Leiston.

A season later, and the sides met again with Ipswich Town victorious by virtue of a 2-1 scoreline, but the teams then didn’t meet until November 2015 when the Blues won 6-3 and Leiston were victorious again the next season, winning 6-2.

Leiston met Ipswich for a third season on the bounce in February 2018, with Leiston winning 2-1. The Blues went on to beat Kirkley & Pakefield 3-1 in the semi-finals at Lowestoft Town before defeating Bury Town 3-0 in the final for their first-ever final success after four previous final defeats.

Leiston played Ipswich in the semi-finals in March 2019, with the Blues winning 2-1. Leiston went onto retain the trophy after defeating Felixstowe & Walton United 3-2 in the final at Portman Road. The last time the two sides met was in March 2023 in the quarter-finals of the competition, Leiston again coming out victors, 2-1.

2007: Ipswich Town Res 8 (Liam Trotter (2), Jordan Rhodes, Dean Bowditch, Michael Synott, Billy Clarke, Scott Barron, Jai Reason) Leiston 0.
2008: Leiston 0 Ipswich Town Res 3 (Ed Upson (2), Jordan Rhodes).
2009: Leiston 1 (David Head) Ipswich Town Res 2 (Jack Ainsley, Ed Upson).
2015: Leiston 6 (Joe Francis (2), Stuart Boardley, Christy Finch, Gareth Heath, Leon Ottley-Gooch) Ipswich Town XI 2 (Kieran Cathline, Sam Ford).
2016: Leiston 6 (Jake Hutchings (3), Matt Blake, Christy Finch, Joe Francis) Ipswich Town XI 3 (Declan Daniels, Ben Folami, Corrie Ndaba).
2018: Leiston 2 (Chris Henderson, Joe Jefford) Ipswich Town XI 1 (Idris El Mizounni).
2019: Leiston 2 (Tom Bullard, Harrison Bacon) Ipswich Town XI 1 (Tommy Hughes).
2023: Leiston 2 (Finlay Barnes, Adam Mills) Ipswich Town XI 1 (Rossi Jarvis OG).

COMING UP FOR BLUES

LEISTON head to Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday before hosting Lowestoft Town on Boxing Day (1pm kick off) and then heading to Harborough Town on Saturday 28th December.

MATCH INFORMATION

Leiston v Ipswich Town XI
Endeavour Automotive Suffolk Premier Cup quarter-final
Watson & Hillhouse Stadium, Victory Road, Leiston, Suffolk, IP16 4DQ
Tuesday, December 17, ko 7.45pm
Tel: 01728 830308

Admission Prices: Adults £12, Concessions £9, Students (with ID) £7, U16’s £3, U5’s FOC.
This is an all ticket game and season tickets are NOT valid.