Town boss Roy Keane is likely to recall Tottenham loanee Andros Townsend to his starting line-up tonight when the Blues take on Championship leaders QPR. Townsend is back having completed a three-match ban for his red card at Crystal Palace, while Darren O’Dea is rated 50/50 due to his knee injury.
Keane says the 19-year-old winger’s return will give his side a boost: "That’s a big plus for us because Andros was looking decent for us, sharp.
"It’s been a long suspension for him because of the international break, but he’s been training well and he’ll have a chance of getting his boots on.
"We missed him because he’s a good player who gives us a different option in terms of his penetration, his ability to beat a man, the balance of the side.”
The Blues boss says Connor Wickham was fine after coming on late at Portsmouth and now needs playing time to get to full match sharpness: "The most minutes Connor will get this week will be on Wednesday night in our reserves at Colchester. He’s had no reaction to his injury, medically he’s fine but he’s missed a lot of pre-season.
"If you miss a lot of pre-season you’re playing catch-up with a lot of the players, same for Damien Delaney. Damien needs some minutes under his belt.”
Keane would ideally like to keep Mark Kennedy back for Wednesday's reserve game, but the Irishman is likely to start tonight if Darren O’Dea fails to get over his knee problem. The on-loan Celtic man is rated at 50/50 after hurting the same knee he injured while away with Ireland when he collided with a post at Portsmouth.
Aside from Townsend returning and Kennedy perhaps coming in for O’Dea at left-back, the Town team is likely to continue to have a familiar look to it. Márton Fülöp will be in goal, Jaime Peters at right-back with Gareth McAuley and Tommy Smith in the centre of the defence.
Luke Hyam will be in the centre of the midfield, as he has been for every game this season with Keane conscious of not overplaying the youngster: "It is a big ask for him, but we’ve got other players who can play that role. David Norris has played there for us, Grant Leadbitter can play in that position or we can play a different system with two [central midfielders]. We’ve got options.
"Don’t worry, we’re not going to flog him like a dead horse. He’ll get his opportunity to rest, but what age is he? 18? I know when I was his age I never wanted to bloody rest!
"He’s doing well and once you’ve got the shirt you want to keep it. I’m sure if I asked him if he wants a rest I know what he’d say to me, I know about the boy. He can rest when he’s retired or when he’s dead!”
Ahead of Hyam, skipper Norris and Leadbitter will fill the other central midfield roles with Carlos Edwards on the right of the front three.
Townsend is likely to come in on the left with Keane having to pick between Jason Scotland and Tamás Priskin for the central role. The Trinidadian will probably get the nod. Connor Wickham is likely to be given the last 20 minutes as at Fratton Park.
Shane O’Connor is out for a couple of weeks with a torn hamstring, Luciano Civelli’s still a little way off first team involvement as he continues his recovery from his knee injury, while Alan Quinn is on the way back after his groin problem but unlikely to be back in action until October.
The Town manager, whose side are still to score in the first half this season and have only conceded once in the first 45 minutes, says he always expected to QPR to be in the upper reaches of the division: "I don’t think it’s any surprise QPR being near or at the top, particularly with the one or two players they brought in before the transfer deadline. They’ve got a lot of attacking options, vast experience, an experienced manager, so it’s no surprise.
"I think if we play like we did against Bristol City or even against Portsmouth in the first half, we’ll probably get punished a bit more by QPR because the attacking players they have will take advantage of that, so we’ll need to start the game a bit quicker.
"It’s a home game, a night game, it’ll be a good atmosphere and we’re looking forward to it. We need to expect a tough game, but then again I’d be saying the same to QPR.”
Keane rates his opposite number Neil Warnock very highly: "I think he did a good job when he was in the Premiership. I think he was very unlucky with the West Ham saga and Neil was very unlucky to go down.
"Sometimes a manager needs a bit of luck and I don’t think he had that in the Premiership. He’s a vastly experienced manager, one of a few who has managed for more than 1,000 games. I was at the League Managers’ Association dinner when he got his award.
"He’s a good manager with vast experience, he’s had good teams. He’s got a habit, he knows how to win football matches, which does help.
"I’ve not come across Neil too many times," Keaned added, "a couple times last year, maybe once or twice when I was at Sunderland. Like every other manager, you want to beat him and show respect for him before and after the games. They’ll be wanting to try and do a job on us and we’ll be ready.”
QPR, who signed full-back Kyle Walker on loan from Spurs yesterday, currently sit top of the table, like Town unbeaten in the league but having won all their games with the exception of a draw at Derby. Town have won 28 of the previous encounters between the sides (26 in the league), Rangers 21 (19) and 18 (17) have ended in draws.
The sides last met in February at Loftus Road when first half goals from David Norris and Daryl Murphy helped the Blues to a 2-1 victory, Town’s first double of last season. The Blues were much the better side in the first half but lost their way after the break, however, the R's could only manage Jay Simpson’s solitary reply.
QPR were most recently at Portman Road two days after last Christmas when two goals from Jon Stead and one from Jon Walters gave the Blues a comfortable 3-0 win.
Town striker Tamás Priskin spent the second half of last season on loan at Loftus Road, scoring once in 13 appearances, while left-back Mark Kennedy was on loan with the R's for just over a month in 1998, scoring twice in eight games.
Defender Damien Delaney joined the Blues from QPR in the summer of 2009 and Kevin Lisbie, currently with Millwall, made one start and one sub appearance during a loan spell at Loftus Road back in 2000/01, failing to score.
None of Neil Warnock’s squad have played for the Blues, but Shaun Derry was amongst Roy Keane’s summer targets before opting to move to west London.
Tonight’s referee is Keith Stroud from Hampshire, who has shown six yellow cards and no reds in his two games so far this season. Stroud’s most recent Town match was the 2-1 home victory over Reading in April in which he booked three players from each side — Davids Norris and Wright plus Jon Walters from Town - and sent Royals skipper Matt Mills off for a two-footed lunge on Norris.
Stroud also took control of the match between Town and QPR at Loftus Road in 2005/06, best known for Mark Fish’s infamous appearance for the Blues.
Probable squad: Fülöp, Murphy, Peters, O’Dea, Kennedy, McAuley, Smith, Delaney, Brown, Hyam, Norris, Leadbitter, Healy, Hourihane, Edwards, Townsend, Scotland, Priskin, Wickham, Murray.