Ipswich Town confirm big blow ahead of West Brom - some fans are fearing the worst | OneFootball

The Tractor Boys will be without goalkeeper Alex Palmer for a number of weeks

Ipswich Town have confirmed that goalkeeper Alex Palmer will be missing for "several weeks" following the calf injury he picked up in their midweek defeat against Charlton Athletic.

The Ipswich shot-stopper was withdrawn 24 minutes into their 3-0 loss against the Addicks at Portman Road on Tuesday, with Christian Walton coming on for his first league appearance since January 25th's loss against Liverpool.

Palmer had started each of the opening 10 games of the Tractor Boys' season, but the club confirmed on X that the calf injury will see him miss a lengthy period of time, starting with Saturday's battle with his former club, West Bromwich Albion.

With Ipswich not being as defensively sound as they were throughout the majority of their previous promotion campaign two years ago, losing a key member of their backline is a massive blow, and fans aren't taking too kindly to the news online.

Alex Palmer ruled out for "several weeks" with calf injury

Kieran McKenna is going to have to shuffle his goalkeeping pack for the foreseeable future, as Palmer, who has been his first-choice shot-stopper ever since he arrived at Portman Road in January, will be missing for several weeks due to a calf injury.

Palmer was forced off early in their matchup with Charlton with the scores level. Christian Walton, the man who replaced him, didn't look confident in his place, as Ipswich would concede three for the first time this season in a to-nil loss.

Walton will likely be the man to take the reins in goal for the time being. He's been the primary backup for the last couple of years, making just one appearance in the 2023/24 Championship campaign, and seven last season in the Premier League.

Kieran McKenna also has David Button in his ranks, but the 36-year-old was brought in as third-choice and will likely just make his first Championship squad of the season, backing up Walton, rather than starting.

The 29-year-old reserve keeper will be hoping for a better performance against play-off-contending West Brom tomorrow, and in future games, too. Ipswich take on both QPR and Swansea City away from home and Watford at Portman Road before the November international break.

Ipswich fans have gathered on X to give their reactions to the news that they'll be without their first-choice goalkeeper for a few weeks.

The majority of reactions were negative. Mainly because Palmer is a good keeper for the level, but also because Walton's performance on Tuesday left a bit to be desired in the eyes of Ipswich supporters.

With the Tractor Boys currently sat in the bottom half ahead of their game against West Brom, the squad needs to be as close to full strength as possible to avoid slipping further away from the top six at this point in the campaign.

Arijanet Muric, who is currently out on loan from Ipswich at Serie A side Sassuolo, is a keeper in fine form, and some Ipswich fans are perhaps wishing that the Kosovar was still at Portman Road.

However, a minority are putting their faith in Walton, and ultimately, that is what Ipswich fans must do at this point.

They'll be hoping that Palmer's layoff isn't too significant, and that the 29-year-old can deputise sufficiently across that time to keep them in and around the play-offs when the former West Brom man returns to the fold.