Why Ipswich Town's Leif Davis has been handed a shock suspension | OneFootball

Ipswich Town have been dealt a big blow after defender Leif Davis was hit with a retrospective three-game suspension.

Ipswich Town are currently battling to win automatic promotion from the Championship, but they will have to face the next few games without influential defender Leif Davis.

While Ipswich have struggled to live up to the billing of promotion favourites this season, they are still firmly in the automatic promotion race as the campaign enters its closing stages.

After a three-game winning run, the Tractor Boys' momentum has stalled over the past week with back-to-back draws against Leicester City and Stoke City, with the latter scoring a 96th-minute penalty on Tuesday night to deny Kieran McKenna's men all three points at the bet365 Stadium.

With second-placed Middlesbrough suffering a shock home defeat to Charlton Athletic in midweek, Ipswich's slip-up did not prove too costly, and they currently sit just four points behind the Teesside outfit with a game in hand.

However, as the Tractor Boys look to close the gap to the top two in the coming weeks, they will be unable to call upon Davis after he was hit with a retrospective ban, much to the frustration of chairman Mark Ashton.

Ipswich Town dealt huge Leif Davis blow after Leicester City incident

While Davis has not hit the heights of his previous season at Championship level, he has still been one of Ipswich's star performers this season, scoring two goals and providing five assists in 34 appearances in all competitions.

However, Davis is now facing a spell on the sidelines after being handed a three-game ban for violent conduct following an incident in the 27th minute of the draw against Leicester last Saturday.

After the situation was not spotted by match officials, Davis escaped any punishment at the time, meaning he was able to feature in the draw at Stoke in midweek, but it was caught on video, and he has now been sanctioned. Stuart Wilson shared the footage on X, outlining exactly why Davis was banned.

Davis admitted the charge, but claimed the ban was "clearly excessive", and as the club's frustration with officiating decisions continues to build, chairman Ashton delivered an even stronger response to the news.

"Following a week of frustration regarding officiating, I am incensed by the timing, process and outcome regarding this incident," Ashton said, quoted by the BBC.

"We are currently awaiting written reasons, which we expect to be full, clear and transparent, and will reserve the club's position until that point."

As his ban comes into effect immediately, Davis will miss Saturday's trip to Sheffield Wednesday, as well as the upcoming home games against Millwall and Birmingham City, and with the international break falling between those fixtures, he will not be available until the East Anglian derby meeting with Norwich City on 11th April.

Kieran McKenna facing Ipswich Town selection dilemma after Leif Davis ban

It is undoubtedly a big blow for Ipswich to lose a player of Davis' importance at such a crucial time of the season, but the lack of a natural replacement compounds the problem.

McKenna may choose to deploy right-back Ben Johnson on the opposite side of defence in Davis' absence, while centre-back Jacob Greaves is another candidate who could fill in for the 26-year-old, as he has done previously this season.

The Tractor Boys should comfortably ease past bottom side Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday without Davis, but they will be much more disappointed to lose him for the huge game against third-placed Millwall next weekend, as well as the visit of Birmingham City on Easter Monday.