Town's hopes of taking Reading right-back John Halls on loan have been dashed after the 24-year-old picked up an achilles injury in training. However, Town central defender Ian Miller is set for a loan spell, the 22-year-old will spend a month with Boston United.

The Blues have been keen on adding Halls to their squad for some while but the injury will keep him out of action for several weeks.

Miller moved to Portman Road from Bury Town after a lengthy trial earlier in the season and has been sent out to gain league experience having impressed in the reserves.

Meanwhile, Town are calling in Suffolk-based league referee Mick Thorpe as they seek to reduce their yellow card count. Boss Jim Magilton will quiz Thorpe on what Town can do to reduce the frequency of bookings. Magilton's side jumped to the top of the Championship yellow card table after having six players cautioned at Plymouth.

The Town manager also hopes that the referee from the Home Park game, Kevin Friend, will rescind some of the softer yellow cards. Those shown to Gary Roberts, Sylvain Legwinski and both of those shown to Fabian Wilnis seemed particularly harsh. However, the move seems unlikely to succeed with no process in place for the quashing of bookings.

Elsewhere, West Brom manager Tony Mowbray says that former Blue Thomas Gaards¢e will decide whether a groin injury has ended his career by the end of the year: "Every football club has a responsibility to give any professional footballer every chance to get himself fit.

"It has been a long time for Thomas, yes he has got concerns, but he will be given the opportunity to get himself fit and go and play for our football team.

"He is a great lad and we are very hopeful that he can get going and get himself right. Whatever decision is made in the future is the best for Thomas Gaards¢e.

"He is on a programme to try and relieve the discomfort he gets and at the end of that he and the medical department will make a decision.

"You can't keep going on for a year or two years, he has got to make a decision what he is going to do. I would suggest before the New Year he will be making a decision whether he is going to push on or not."

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