Neither Darren Bent nor Darren Ambrose are in the England U21 squad facing Portugal and Turkey next week. This means that the Blues' game at Gillingham will go ahead with Town forced to play without skipper Matt Holland.

Holland has been called up for Ireland and is Town's only international on duty. Clubs need three international calls to get a game postponed.

With Ambrose virtually certain to sign for Newcastle early this week, had Bent been called up it is likely that the Blues would have had to have faced the Gills without their top scorer.

Holland will miss his first league game for Town since joining from AFC Bournemouth in the summer of 1997. In that time he has amassed 253 consecutive appearances in the league.

Gillingham will be without two players on Saturday, impressive goalkeeper Jason Brown will be away with the Wales U21s while striker Mamady Sidibe is in the Mali squad.

England U21 squad: Ameobi (Newcastle), Barry (Aston Villa, capt), Bramble (Newcastle), Bywater (West Ham), Carrick (West Ham), Clarke (Everton), C Cole (Chelsea), J Cole (West Ham), Crouch (Aston Villa), Dawson (Nottingham Forest), Defoe (West Ham), Etherington (Tottenham), Grant (Derby), Johnson (West Ham), Konchesky (Charlton), Lescott (Wolves), McEveley (Blackburn), Murray (Wolves), Nolan (Bolton), Pennant (Arsenal), Prutton (Southampton), Samuel (Aston Villa), Stewart (Leicester), Wright-Phillips (Manchester City).

Photo: Action Images

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