McCarthy Set to Make Changes at Birmingham Friday, 30th Aug 2013 14:07 Boss Mick McCarthy looks set to make one or two changes to his side as Town visit St Andrew’s to take on Birmingham City having won just one of their four Championship games so far. McCarthy says there was no hangover from last Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Leeds in training during the week: “I never have a bad reaction and I don’t expect a bad reaction from them. “I come in on Monday and we have a look at it and discuss it and pick things out, analyse them and if people have made mistakes, they’ve made mistakes. And that’s what’s costing us at the minute. “The lads came in and we get on with it. There are no recriminations. That’s done, all I can deal with is the Birmingham game.” The Town boss gave little away regarding his Birmingham team selection at Thursday’s press conference, aside from confirming that Luke Hyam would start in central midfield. Keeper Scott Loach held his hands up for his error on the second Leeds goal but McCarthy also felt there were other mistakes earlier on in the build-up. While summer signing Dean Gerken will hope to make his league debut for the Blues, McCarthy could well stick with Loach for the time being. Town are still to receive any serious interest in Aaron Cresswell with the transfer window closing on Monday and the 23-year-old will continue at left-back with Elliott Hewitt on the right and Tommy Smith and Luke Chambers in the centre. McCarthy has ruled out a switch to three centre-halves with close season addition Christophe Berra still to make a league start for the Blues. Tyrone Mings is Town's only injury absentee at present but is expected back from his medial ligament injury in mid-September. Cole Skuse is likely to be in the centre of midfield alongside Hyam, but skipper Carlos Edwards could drop out with Paul Anderson making a full league debut on the right. Chambers would take the armband. Jay Tabb’s place on the left might also be in doubt with Ryan Tunnicliffe having impressed from the bench in the last couple of games. Anthony Wordsworth is over his calf injury and is another option. Up front, David McGoldrick looks certain to start having scored against Leeds, but McCarthy could decide to switch Daryl Murphy for Frank Nouble. New non-contract signing Alan Lee won’t make the trip. Paul Taylor, who played and scored a penalty for the U21s on Monday, will be on the bench with the Town boss believing that the ex-Peterborough man still has a fair bit to do before he reaches full fitness after 11 months on the sidelines with a serious foot injury. “He’s been out a long time and I think he’s just found it really difficult because he wants to play like he did before he got injured, and that’s difficult. You’ve just got to get back into it and it gradually comes. But he’s found it frustrating,” he said. “Maybe I got carried away. He came on at Colchester and he was playing in a friendly and we played really well and he looked great in that and you think he’s a first team player again. But actually he’s not. He’s getting there, but he’s found it difficult.” McCarthy believes his Birmingham opposite number Lee Clark is doing a good job in difficult circumstances: “They’re still suffering the aftermath of getting relegated from the Premier League. Players on big money leaving, having to bring players in on different wages, different deals. “I think Lee’s doing a sterling job under, like the rest of us, scrutiny and pressure. And there always seems to be something else going on at Birmingham that he can’t do anything about. All he can do is concentrate on the team and I think he did well with them last year.” Regardless of Saturday’s result, McCarthy says he’ll give his squad days off during the international break: “We’ll be training at the beginning of the week and then we’ll be giving them some time off. “Irrespective of the result at the weekend they’ll be getting a few days off because when we come back that squad of 20 players suddenly go into Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday, two games a week. “They’ve worked hard, it’s not through lack of effort and hard work that we’ve lost our games. We’ll not be going away together, it’ll be spend a bit of time with your family and your kids because when we come back, we’ll be hard at it.” Ideally he’d like to go into the fortnight’s break with a victory: “That’s utopia that, winning and having the two weeks. It’s fabulous. “They’ve probably got more chance than us because they’re at home, they’re the favourites being the home side. But we’ll just go up there and try and win, as we always do.” Like Town, Birmingham have won one and lost three in the league so far this season and stand one place below the Blues in 18th on goal difference. Just as McCarthy believes Town’s performances have been better than their results, Birmingham boss Clark isn’t unhappy with his team’s displays: “We are not playing that bad, actually. “We’ve had indifferent results in the league but we’ve had six results now and we’ve won three and lost three. “We’re a good young team. We just need to find our shooting boots. We missed some good chances again against Yeovil but if we get that little bit of confidence we will be all right. I’ll start worrying when they’re not getting the chances. “We’ve got a terrific group of lads and they are fighting for their jersey. My lads have showed that whatever is thrown at them they will give everything for the Birmingham City crest.” Big Serbian striker Nikola Zigic (back) and full-back David Murphy (heel) both miss out, while keeper Darren Randolph is a doubt with a hand injury. If the former Charlton man doesn’t make it, Colin Doyle will keep his place having been between the sticks against Yeovil in midweek. Defender Mitch Hancox (ankle) and midfielder Shane Ferguson (groin) are expected to be OK, while Ghanaian striker Akwasi Asante is a doubt with a hamstring problem. Striker Marlon King left St Andrew’s this week after his contract was paid up, while former Rangers frontman Peter Lovenkrands is available on a free transfer and hasn't featured so far this season. The teams most recently met in Town’s final home game of last season in April when Carlos Edwards, Luke Chambers and Daryl Murphy were on target as the Blues finally confirmed their place in the Championship with a 3-1 win. Edwards hammered in a stunning strike in the sixth minute, Chambers headed in the second on 17 and Murphy added the third before Chris Burke pulled one back late on for the visitors. In November, the Mick McCarthy era got off to a winning start at St Andrew’s as DJ Campbell’s third goal in five games saw Town to a 1-0 victory over the loan striker’s old club. Town were the better side in the first half and were worthy of their lead at the break, but the home side came into it more in a second period in which sub Nikola Zigic failed to take two good chances. Historically, the Blues have had the better of Birmingham, winning 32 times (29 in the league), drawing 12 (12) and losing 27 (21). Town have only won one game away from home during 2013, at Derby in April. Former Town man Darren Ambrose, who came through the ranks of the Town academy and later had a loan spell back at Portman Road while a Charlton player, joined Birmingham from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2012. Since then has made only five starts and four sub appearances, scoring one goal. His only appearance this campaign came from the bench against Yeovil in the Capital One Cup in midweek. Saturday’s referee is Darren Drysdale from Lincolnshire, who has shown 10 yellow and two red cards in three games so far this season. Drysdale’s most recent Town match was the 2-0 win at Wolves in January in which he booked Lee Martin and one home player. Squad from: Loach, Gerken, Hewitt, Veseli, Cresswell, Smith, Chambers, Berra, Skuse, Hyam, Wordsworth, Tunnicliffe, Edwards, Anderson, Tabb, Murphy, McGoldrick, Nouble, Taylor.
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