Boss Mick McCarthy admits he has a goalkeeping selection dilemma ahead of Saturday’s visit to second-placed AFC Bournemouth. Dean Gerken is expected to be fit again after a groin problem, while Bartosz Bialkowski has impressed the Town manager in the former Colchester man’s absence.

The 27-year-old Pole, a summer signing from Notts County, has played the last three matches and has kept two clean sheets.

“I knew we had an outstanding keeper in Bart,” McCarthy told the club website.

“He has been frustrated because he couldn’t get in the team. Now he’s in and he has done great for us.

“When Gerks is fit - and he should be OK for Saturday - then it gives me a problem but it’s a nice problem to have.”

McCarthy also expects midfielder Cole Skuse to be fit to face the Cherries, also after a groin problem, but on-loan midfielder Jonny Williams is expected to be out until the middle of December with the groin injury he suffered in the 1-0 victory over Watford.

Photo: Action Images

Carrotblue added 12:45 - Nov 17 Keep the faith with BB
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PJH added 13:07 - Nov 17 Bart has had very little to do in the last three games so it is difficult to judge if he is good enough to become 1st choice.In my opinion a lot of the slating that Dean has had has not been justified,he obviously has made some mistakes but ALL goalkeepers do.Having said that there is no reason to l;eave Bart out so I would go with him on saturday.When he has a "busy" game,which could be saturday,we would have a better idea who should be No. 1.

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ormey75 added 13:12 - Nov 17 Kelvin Davis, Paul cooper, Richard Wright or Craig Forrest but Not gerken
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Blandford added 13:17 - Nov 17 Regardless of who is considered the club's number one keeper I would hope BB keeps his place this week-end. He has been part of the team that has picked up 9 points out of 9 and dropping a player who has done very little wrong would send a very negative message to all fringe players.
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WirralBlue added 13:17 - Nov 17 A good goalkeeper isn't necessarily a busy keeper. Its also about organising your defence, spotting and anticipating danger and taking control of the penalty area. I'm not a massive fan of DG, I much prefer BB. The shirt should be his to lose now.
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trncbluearmy added 13:22 - Nov 17 People seem to be forgetting the vital save he made against watford when their striker was one on one. Deserves his place in the team,it`s now his lose
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dude added 13:28 - Nov 17 Bart for sure. His main problem for me has been lack of confidence, but surely that will come with the confidence we put in him and by giving him games. Gerken is a Great backup. Hopefully whoever sits on the bench will follow Tommy Smith's lead and be professional about it.
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TR11BLU added 13:47 - Nov 17 Hmmmmm.... My money is on Gerken being given the shirt. BB should keep it but this is MM paving the way to bring one of his buddies back in. You heard it here first. As for Skuse....NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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petermorris added 14:14 - Nov 17 3 clean sheets, rapidly growing in confidence and BB's kicking is better too. Massive and accurate kicks into strong wind v Watford.
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Surco72 added 14:21 - Nov 17 Bart should definitely keep his place , has done all asked of him Wolves goal aside and the team has looked confident in front of him after a few jittery games with Gerks in goal , for me it is his place to lose . Would like to see Hyam back rather than Skuse .
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PJH added 14:26 - Nov 17 I agree WirralBlue that you do not have to be busy to be a good goalkeeper but there will come a game when Bart has to make a lot of saves and deal with a lot of crosses.When he has had a game like that and hopefully dealt with it well we can judge how good he is. As I said before,there is no reason to leave him out and Blandford makes a very good point about why he should be retained.

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Michael11 added 15:09 - Nov 17 You should never really change a winning side unless you have to. Especially for a player who I don't believe is better than Bialkowski anyway. Gerken's never filled me with confidence!
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halsteadblue added 15:33 - Nov 17 Bart has played in our last three winning games,played three won three,he derserves to keep his place in the team.
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nhabo added 15:34 - Nov 17 I think Bialkowski will keep his place and you can guarantee that for an away game against a good side like Bournemouth, Skuse will start ahead of a more attacking player like, say, Bishop. Barring injury, Parr will also likely be on the bench again and he'll keep the same back 5.
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halsteadblue added 15:34 - Nov 17 OOPS......DESERVES.
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StowTractorBoy added 15:48 - Nov 17 I've seen Bart 4 times. Swansea Under 21s he let the easiest of long shots squirm under his body and into the net. Blackpool the first cross he had to deal with he almost flapped into his own goal. I grant that he did OK against Watford and Wolves but the Wolves goal has a 50/50 on him. In those two games he made a couple of decent saves but the jury is out for me on Bart and I don't envy MM the choice as Gerks is not perfect either. In MM we trust.

1

jas0999 added 16:39 - Nov 17 Bart looked very shaky at times. But has pulled off a couple of good saves. Both are good shot stoppers, but neither seem to control their area very well and prone to an error or two. This is 50/50! I don't see a lot between them!
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Jimmy86 added 17:03 - Nov 17 For me I think if he's given a run of games Bart will be the better keeper. Not slating gerken as such, but his command of his area is not much better than when loach was here. He is poor at coming off his line and when he does he doesn't get anywhere near it. Forest's equaliser being a prime example. A better keeper would have secured us 3 points that day. Gerken has also made some good saves though, so can see why it's a difficult one for mick

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therein61 added 18:06 - Nov 17 Mick in referring to certain players has stated they have not let me down so they play! on that basis after the last 3 games then Bart is in goal Bru,Hyam,& Bish in midfield, and Skuse and Gerks are on the bench with one would expect the same attitude that Tommy Smith has shown, Gerks was unlucky with his injury but that is football a certain Jimmy Greaves was injured in the 1966 world cup and Geoff Hurst stepped in(thanks Sir Alf!) and the rest is history

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blueboy1981 added 18:40 - Nov 17 We look a far better side with Bart in - given decent run would establish himself well. Controls everything in front of him much better than Gerken - what we've seen with Gerken is all there is to see - had ample games /opportunity to improve - but hasn't done so. Bart between the sticks is a no brainer - has to be.
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PJH added 18:48 - Nov 17 Jimmy86-Gerks certainly was at fault for Forest's equaliser but he also made two brilliant saves.It could be argued that he actually won us a point.If the mistake had been made earlier and one of the saves in injury time it would probably have been seen as point winning rather than two points losing.Of course it would have been better if the mistake had not been made at all.

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Samassi100Abou added 19:03 - Nov 17 I have been on Gerks back every since he joined and I have the same argument every week with friends, he made some important saves this season ? But every keeper is expected to make good saves it's their job?? it's the little mistakes you should judge a keeper on and Gerks always looks like he has one in his locker, stick with Bart MM, keep the Bristol City and colchester back up on the bench!! I can't see us being a top 6 side come the end of the season with Gerks in the sticks

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Jimmy86 added 19:18 - Nov 17 PJH I agree entirely, the save from Antonio was top drawer, having had the initial shot blocked on the line. He did play well, which is why it was gut wrenching he didn't claim the ball when he came for the corner. I just think sometimes the back 4 don't have an awful lot of confidence in gerken and it's vital the back 4 are confident in the keeper behind them
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PJH added 19:36 - Nov 17 Jimmy86-I agree. To sum up my views,Gerken is capable of great saves but also prone to misjudgments. I cannot say one way or the other about Bart because I have yet to see him in a game where he has a lot to do. Despite having memories of every ITFC goalkeeper from Roy Bailey onwards,I do not think we have ever had a really top class keeper.We were close to signing Pat Jennings back in the 1970's and I believe that there was once talk of Peter Shilton.I suppose Kelvin Davis and for the short time that he was here,Neil Akexander were the best in my view.

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yorksblue added 19:44 - Nov 17 PJH Jennings was moments away, so I'm led to believe. Would have been nice, but then, we would never have got Super Cooper. My best 3 IMO Cooper Wright - in first spell Davis
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