Middlesbrough fans urged against 'uncalled for' Chuba Akpom reception - Ipswich Town star 'loved the club' | OneFootball

The former Boro hotshot will return to Teesside on Friday with the in-form Tractor Boys.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

With the Championship returning after a two-week international break, Middlesbrough will kick the second tier action back off as they welcome their former golden boot winner Chuba Akpom and his Ipswich Town side to Teesside on Friday.

The aforementioned predicaments certainly apply to both Middlesbrough and Ipswich Town, who resume the second tier with a highly-anticipated encounter at 8pm on Friday night at the Riverside Stadium.

The Teesside outfit have had almost two weeks to mull over a first Championship defeat of Rob Edwards' tenure since his summer appointment, with the Reds on the wrong end of a narrow 1-0 scoreline against Portsmouth at Fratton Park, albeit they do remain in the automatic promotion places despite seeing the gap to Leicester City and Preston narrowed down to one.

Of course, it is early days when it comes to predicting which sides will mount a sustained promotion bid over the full course of a 46-game season. However, one club who many tipped to achieve such a feat was Ipswich Town, largely down to the tactical nous of Kieran McKenna.

The Tractor Boys had endured a lethargic start to the campaign.

However, a run of three wins and two defeats has propelled the Northern Irishman's side up to ninth, and they could move to within two points of Middlesbrough should they take all three points at the Riverside.

Another subplot to this particular clash is that Chuba Akpom will return to the North East for the first time since his departure to Ajax.

With that being said, Football League World asked our resident Middlesbrough fan pundit, Liam Day, what kind of reception he expects the locals to give their former favourite.

Akpom's time with Middlesbrough was far from smooth sailing if truth be told, with the ex-Arsenal man only making headlines during a remarkable final season at the club.

After joining for £2.75m from PAOK under Neil Warnock in 2020, the Londoner only found the back of the net five times in his first term, despite scoring on his debut against Queens Park Rangers.

The striker then returned to the Greek Super League side on loan in 2021/22, and was initially part of Chris Wilder's 'bomb squad' upon his return to Teesside.

However, the striker would embark on the best-scoring season of his career by far, with a double against Sheffield United in August 2022 paving the way for a 28-goal haul, with the majority of his tally coming under the guidance of Michael Carrick, who drastically changed Boro's short-term fortunes following his appointment in October 2022.

Akpom was rewarded with a contract extension, as well as becoming the first Boro player in 33 years to score over 20 league goals in a season, and the first in Championship history to net in nine successive matches, eventually winning the Golden Boot despite his side falling short in the play-off semi-finals, where they would lose to Coventry City.

The striker would then move to Ajax for an initial €12.3m. Yet, after another mixed period in Amsterdam and on loan with Lille, Akpom is back in the Championship, having agreed a loan deal that will become permanent for £7m if Ipswich are promoted to the Premier League.

As such, Liam only had good words to say about Akpom for his contributions in red and white, believing that the vast majority of Boro supporters will be of the same opinion when his name is read out on the tannoy as part of the customary team news announcements on Friday.

"I really don't know. Straight off the bat, if he was ever to return, I always assumed he'd get a positive reaction," Day admitted to FLW.

"But, simply, given how the transfer went down, it could be a bit more of a mixed one.

"Personally, I don't think he deserves a booing. He made the decision for his family," our fan pundit added. "It's understandable.

"Ipswich, on paper, have a much better chance of getting up to the Premier League with the squad they have compared to ours. They've got parachute payments, and their squad's a bit ridiculous if we're being honest.

"I think he deserves a positive one. He made the club a lot of money, worked hard when he was here, and he loved the club. I think you can see that," Day explained.

"I think if he does get a bad reception, I think it's uncalled for. I think everyone should, at least, be clapping him (for his efforts at Middlesbrough)."

Rob Edwards will hope Chuba Akpom subplot doesn't cause Middlesbrough distraction

It is always fascinating when a player returns to their former club for the first time, and this case is no different, especially with the current predicament both Middlesbrough and Ipswich find themselves in.

Indeed, Akpom was linked with a potential return to the club alongside links with Birmingham City, before his move to Portman Road was ironically completed just days after McKenna's side drew in a feisty encounter at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Edwards will be hoping the aforementioned subplot doesn't come as a distraction for his players, who are looking to rekindle their early-season performance levels after a slight drop-off in recent weeks that have led to a run of one win in the past four league games.

The 42-year-old will also be hoping that Akpom doesn't serve up any transfer regret in the encounter, as well as having full confidence in the likes of David Strelec, Tommy Conway and Kaly Sene to cause maximum damage to Ipswich's rearguard.