Boss Roy Keane is weighing up whether to give 18-year-old Luke Hyam his senior debut when the Blues travel to Middlesbrough for Saturday’s opening npower Championship game of the season. Hyam has impressed his manager throughout pre-season and could make his bow at the Riverside.
Keane says that if he decides to use former Northgate High School pupil Hyam in the midfield holding role, he is confident that the youngster will do himself justice: "If Luke is in my team on Saturday, I won’t be losing any sleep on Friday night up in Durham. I know for a fact he won’t let anybody down.”
If he gets the nod, Hyam won’t be the only debutant for Town on Saturday with Mark Kennedy expected to start at left-back.
Keane could also call on new keeper Márton Fülöp, although he says it is by no means a fait accompli that the Hungarian will take over from Brian Murphy: "He’ll be available for selection like every other player at the football club, whether he’s selected or not remains to be seen.”
The Blues boss is clear in his target for the season: "My own expectation of the players and the staff is that we have to be competing in the top six and we have to start the season better than we did last year.
"But you look at the first few fixtures, I think they are the toughest we could have picked but I’ve never shied away from that side of it.
"I’m looking forward to it, I know the players are and we want to give the fans something to shout about as, whichever way you look at it, we let them down last year and we want to make up for that.”
Keane expects the division to be as tight as usual: "The Championship is going be as competitive as ever but we want to be in the mix and if we get one or two new faces in we’ll have a good chance.
"But we’ve got to go out there and do it week-in, week-out, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday and be consistent, something we weren’t last year.”
The Town manager isn’t concerned that the lack of pre-season games has left his squad short of fitness as they go into the new season: "I’ve no problem with us being undercooked. If that was a concern we could have got another one or two games in. But the way it panned out with the injuries, with the shape and with what we did last year, we spent more time on the training pitch.
"We do have the 11 v 11s over 60 or 70 minutes in training which are as good as a lot of games, particularly pre-season.”
The Irishman expects Boro to be amongst the main contenders for the Championship this season: "I think they’ve invested well, they got some decent money for Adam Johnson when he went to Manchester City last year and Gordon’s brought in experienced players.
"He’s got goalscorers in his team and just as importantly he knows their character; they’ve played for big clubs, they’ve played in big Champions League games.
"They’re one of the favourites and rightly so. For us to get anything out of the game on Saturday, we have to be at our best, but we’ll be giving it a right go and we’re looking forward to it.”
Keane is likely to give his two experienced signings and Hyam their debuts at the Riverside with the Blues’ other new man Conor Hourihane seen as a player of the future and not involved this weekend.
In front of Fülöp, Kennedy will be at left-back, Jaime Peters on the right with Tommy Smith and Gareth McAuley in the centre.
The Blues seem certain to utilise the three-man midfield used throughout pre-season with Hyam sitting behind David Norris and Grant Leadbitter.
Up front, skipper Jon Walters could play his last game for Town on the right of the front three, with Carlos Edwards on the left and Tamas Priskin in the centre.
The Blues will be without Connor Wickham (ankle), Damien Delaney (thigh), Luciano Civelli (knee) and Alan Quinn (groin).
Midfielder Colin Healy is over his thigh problem and will be in the squad, while centre-half Tom Eastman is banned after his red card on the final day of last season against Sheffield United. Jon Stead may also be in the travelling party despite probably being on his way out of the club before the end of the month, but Pablo Couñago will be left behind.
Contrary to Town’s rather quiet summer, Middlesbrough have spent more than £5 million, Gordon Strachan, who was Keane’s manager at Celtic, adding the likes of Steven McManus, Kevin Thomson, Kris Boyd, Tarmo Kink and Nicky Bailey to his squad.
Despite all the signings, manager Gordon Strachan plays down their tag as favourites: "I wouldn't have known that we were favourites.
"The character of the team won't be tested until after Saturday. We can all talk a good game, before the game."
Boro have an injury doubt regarding midfielder Gary O'Neil, who has a knee problem, while fellow midfield man Andy Halliday is on the way back from a groin strain. Defender Tony McMahon is likely to be back from a thigh strain but Rhys Williams is a long-term absentee with a pelvic injury. Keeper Brad Jones is suspended.
Mido, Didier Digard and Marvin Emnes have been told they do not feature in Gordon Strachan’s plans for the season ahead and can leave the club.
Defender Matthew Bates spent time on loan with Town in the 2006/07 season, making two appearances before a cruciate knee ligament injury saw him return home. The defender is back in action again after yet a knee ligament injury — his fourth — ended his 2009/10. No current member of the Town squad has played for the Teessiders.
Town have had the better of Middlesbrough over the years, winning 26 games (24 in the league), drawing 11 (11) and losing 16 (15).
Last season at the Riverside, Boro won 3-1, Jon Walters netting an injury time penalty for the Blues after Gary O’Neil and Jeremie Aliadiere (2) had scored for the home side.
At Portman Road in February, Daryl Murphy netted in the first minute of his debut and David Wheater just after the hour mark in a 1-1 draw.
Saturday’s referee is Anthony Bates from Staffordshire, who showed 106 yellow cards and only one red in 36 games last season. His most recent Town match was the 0-0 draw at Bristol City in December last year.
Probable squad: Fülöp, Murphy, Lee-Barrett, Peters, Ainsley, Kennedy, O’Connor, McAuley, Smith, Brown, Hyam, Leadbitter, Norris, Healy, Lambe, Priskin, Walters, Edwards, Stead, Murray.