Town boss Mick McCarthy has confirmed that left-back Jonas Knudsen will miss Saturday’s home game against Cardiff with the hamstring injury he suffered at Nottingham Forest last week, but midfielder Cole Skuse is over the ankle problem which forced him off at the City Ground and Jay Tabb is back in training, also having been out with a hamstring injury.

“Jonas is injured, he’s been out training, to be fair to him, he’s done his rehab but we’ve got matches Saturday, Tuesday and Saturday,” McCarthy said. “He’s strained his hamstring so we’re not going to risk him on Saturday."

He says the Danish international could be involved on Tuesday when Bolton visit Portman Road, while Jonny Parr, a scorer at Forest having come off the bench, seems certain to come into the team facing the Bluebirds.

As for his other injury concerns, McCarthy added: “Skusey’s fine, he trained Thursday and Friday. Everybody else is fine, Tabby’s back training as well, which is good. All the others were fine.”

The Blues boss was pleased to see Teddy Bishop get a full game under his belt for the U21s on Monday, the midfielder’s first match at that level for a month having suffered with shin splints and hamstring problems this season.

“He got his 90 minutes in, which was terrific, but we’re just trying to manage him and making sure we don’t rush him forward with it,” McCarthy continued.

“We’ll take as long we need to get him back in the first team because it is different. Training in the U18s and playing in the U21s is not like full speed with the first team. It’s great to see him back though, fingers crossed he gets through it all right.

“It’s been sad for all of us that he’s been missing. Sad for the supporters when he’s such a good player and one of the homegrown ones.

“Sad for me because I can’t pick a really talented young player and sad for him because his career’s been halted at a very young age already with quite debilitating injuries, shin splints at the start and then a hamstring.

“We’d all love to see him back. For him, being a young player, it’s devastating when you’re injured. I feel for him, he’s had a frustrating time of it.”

Regarding Ryan Fraser the Town manager says he’s heard nothing new regarding the winger, who is undergoing his rehab from his medial knee ligament injury with parent club AFC Bournemouth.

“I spoke to Ryan a couple of weeks ago, but I haven’t spoken to him since. He’ll just be cracking on and trying to get himself fit,” he said.

“We got the prognosis a week after he’d been injured when we thought it might be six to nine months if he’d done his cruciate ligaments, but he hasn’t.

“It was always going to be two months, maybe 10 weeks. If it’s three or four weeks since he did it that’s not going to change, he’s going to be as long as it takes.”

Meanwhile, he says Luke Varney and Luke Hyam are getting closer to making their returns to action.

Hyam has been out of action since January with a knee injury which ultimately required surgery in the summer, while Varney ruptured an achilles in the play-offs.

Former Blackburn loanee Varney is expected to sign a permanent deal with the Blues once fit, which McCarthy says is now not too far away.

“He’s been out training today,” the Town boss said. “He and Luke Hyam were out kicking balls about today. It’s great to see them back on the grass and working.

“They’ll be back playing for the U21s in November, maybe two weeks in. But they’re getting very close now. They’re at that last bit where they’re going to get let loose into the training sessions.

“They’ve both had long-term injuries so it will be when the physios decide between them and the patient that they’re absolutely fine to go.”

Photo: Action Images

Dwillams57 added 14:01 - Oct 30 Thank goodness Tabb is fit!!!!
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hoppy added 14:09 - Oct 30 Absolutely great news about Tabby. Fantastic.
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mickymacsbarmyarmy added 14:30 - Oct 30 Different class is tabby !!
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Keaneish added 14:31 - Oct 30 Tabb, Hyam, Varney and Bishop. They have to be the hardest workers we own don't they? Cardiff will line up with a 4-4-2 and rely on Noone and Whittingham to provide the service. Other than Mason's movement and Whittingham's dead balls though, i don't see much in that Cardiff side to worry us just a lot of hard work and determination from Dikgacoi and Gunnarson to drive them forward. Revell should be meat and drink for Berra and Smith!? I reckon we'll match them for work rate in typical MM style and go with something like: Gerken Chambers, Smith, Berra, Parr Maitland-Niles, Skuse, Bru, Toure Murphy Sears Shame none of the first four are fit as this game is tailor made for them to battle out a win.

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Bleu added 14:32 - Oct 30 er...this is going to be tricky then Gerk the nerk Chambers Smith Berra Parr Skuse Bru Douglas Niles Murphy Sears
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mickymacsbarmyarmy added 14:33 - Oct 30 Biggest 7 days of micks 3 years here..3 winnable games this next week..7- 9 points & everything will be rosy in the Portman Road garden..The alternative doesn't bear thinking about
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Townie29 added 14:37 - Oct 30 Gerken Chambers, Smith, Berra, Parr AMN, Skuse, Bru Sear, Didz, Murphy 4-3-3 Lets go for a result!! Really looking forward to Hyam and Bish to come back and in particular Varney - I thought he was quality last season and seemed to win everything in the air
0

BlueKush added 15:26 - Oct 30 @Townie29 I'd go with that with Bialkowski in goal. We've picked up 7 points and a clean sheet from 3 games with Bart. 2 wins from his 3 games, 2 wins from Gerken's 10! The stats against Gerken's inclusion are getting more embarassing by the game - it isn't a coincidence that we do much better with Bart in goal. Until this change is made we've got no chance at getting promoted.

5

Townie29 added 15:33 - Oct 30 @BlueKush absolutely agreed but I do think the our midfield is more of the problem at the moment. Gerks is getting a lot of stick but I genuinely feel that Douglas is the reason we are struggling so much. With Skuse shielding the defence we need someone in front of him to put in themselves about. We are horribly exposed at the moment with the gap between defence & midfield and midfield & attack

1

vanmunt added 15:47 - Oct 30 I heard there is some paint drying somewhere at 3.00 tomorrow, might go and watch that instead and save myself £80.
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theipswichman added 17:36 - Oct 30 Shame about Teddy, but I think the club are doing the right thing. We need to make sure this injury is a one off and he doesn't become a bit like Joniesta therefore the club are managing him well.
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jas0999 added 17:59 - Oct 30 Tabb is sadly passed his best. Was poor from January onwards and not good enough.
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Lukeybluey added 18:20 - Oct 30 Bialkowski Emmanual Chambo Berra Parr Niles Skuse Bru Tabb McGoldrick Sears COYB's!
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GiveusaWave added 00:12 - Oct 31 Sounds like a number of key players are nearly ready to stake their claims to a place in the first 11. Tabb isn't fully fit yet so expect Parr will replace Knudsen. Hard to know who MM will pick in midfield. I'd go with Skuse and Bru but he seems to rate Douglas so I'd expect him to start. Can't see Coke being anywhere near our first team for a while. We really need to get behind our team now for the next 2 home games. If we win them both we'll be back in contention. If we draw or lose we may find ourselves in a relegation scrap. Great that we have key players back at such a critical time in our season.

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