Hello, something a bit different for our Monday night football blog this January evening as we turn our attention to the Championship, where Ipswich Town travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City. The hosts are top of the league on 65 points from 27 games and their visitors from Suffolk are on 58 points from 28, back in third. With Southampton and Leeds also formidable forces this term it is going to be a very competitive run-in. Ipswich have hit a rocky patch with their form, assembling just six points from the last 15, but Leicester themselves tasted defeat last time out when they swallowed the bitter pill of a 3-1 loss at Coventry. Ipswich will stay third no matter what happens tonight (unless hit for a cricket score) but the Foxes could open up a ten point gap on Southampton and tonight’s rivals. All to play for, then.
Wee bit of news just coming out of Leicester this evening: Leicester goalkeeper Alex Smithies has retired from professional football due to injury.
Smithies, 33, played nearly 500 senior games for Huddersfield, QPR and Cardiff during a 17-year playing career.
He joined Leicester in August 2022 but did not make a senior appearance for the Foxes.
“Alex Smithies has left Leicester City after announcing his retirement from the professional game,” a club statement read. “Leicester City would like to place on record our appreciation to Alex and offer him and his family our best wishes for the future.”
Tough one for the player. He was in the England under-19s back in the day, had a fine career for Huddersfield and later at Loftus Road. Hope he has a good retirement.
We’ll also be following the Premier League match this evening in which Brighton host Wolves, that kicks off a bit earlier than this one. We’ll have team news for Leicester vs Ipswich at around 7pm when the line-ups are named and then the kick off will be at 8pm. Stick around for the build up and news before that.