Town boss Roy Keane has to decide whether to recall skipper David Norris and youngster Luke Hyam after their one-match bans when Coventry City visit Portman Road on Saturday afternoon. The Blues will be without defender Darren O’Dea, who has undergone a knee operation and is out for six weeks.
Keane, who can also call on Jack Colback now that the Sunderland midfielder’s loan move has been confirmed, is pleased that Norris and Hyam are being made to fight for their places: "It’s nice that players like Chuck and Luke have to work their way back into the team, it’s a credit to the other players.
"Not just in those positions, but Tommy Smith’s performances have meant that Damien Delaney’s had to bide his time and Shane O’Connor’s going to have to bide his time too. Luke and Chuck might have to bide their time.”
Aside from O’Dea, the Blues are nearing a clean bill of health with Alan Quinn likely to be involved in a reserves friendly next week having been out of action since pre-season with a groin problem: "Quinner’s back on the training pitch, other than that we’ve got a full selection. We’ve got good options but we’ll need them all in the next few weeks. Moving on from Saturday, we’ve a lot of midweek games coming up.
"There are one or two lads coming back. Shane O’Connor played for the reserves the other day, Luciano Civelli had another run out. We’re pleased with the lack of injuries we have at the moment and, fingers crossed, that will continue. Credit to the medical staff and our fitness coaches for that.”
Despite his ongoing back problem, Keane says Tommy Smith will be OK to play: "Tommy summed it up pretty well after the Leeds game. The problem for Tommy is travelling, not training or anything like that, it’s more sitting still on a plane for 24 hours for a friendly game.
"Club managers are always quick to criticise international set-ups, but New Zealand were very good with it and common sense prevailed.
"I will try to rest him. During the last international break I gave him a week off. We were hoping to rest him for the Leeds match because we had good options with the other players. He will get days’ rests, more so than some of the other players.”
The Blues boss says Aidy Boothroyd’s Coventry will be tough opposition: "He’s a very good manager with good experience going back to his Watford days. He’s brought some good experienced players into the team there, people like Lee Carsley, who are very, very good players and no doubt very good in the dressing room.
"If we’re to get a result against Coventry we’ll have to play very well, it’s as simple as that. Anything less and I know we won’t get that result.”
Keane says it’s not for him to comment on the Sky Blues’ recent recruitment of Marlon King after his release from prison: "It’s none of my business, it’s up to the manager there. Everyone’s entitled to make their own decisions. Good luck to them.
"We’re lucky we’ve got good strikers anyway, so we weren’t in the market for a striker. He’s a good player and there’s probably a good chance he’ll start on Saturday.”
Márton Fülöp looks certain to continue in goal for Town with Gareth McAuley and Tommy Smith again the centre-halves and Mark Kennedy the left-back.
Keane could make a change at right-back with Jaime Peters an option but the Blues boss may prefer to stick with Tom Eastman against what’s likely to be a largely aerial assault from the visitors.
The Blues boss is almost certain to continue with a central midfield three but will have to decide whether to recall Norris and Hyam after their one-match suspensions or even bring in new loan signing Jack Colback.
Keane may well decide to give Jake Livermore his second Town start after he impressed in the victory over Leeds, creating the opening goal, probably alongside Norris with Leadbitter perhaps getting the nod ahead of Hyam in the holding role. Colback will probably be amongst the subs having only rejoined the Blues today.
Andros Townsend and Carlos Edwards will be in the wide positions with Jason Scotland continuing as the lone striker.
Keane may be wrong in expecting Marlon King to start with Aidy Boothroyd appearing to suggest that he won't be ready after suffering a dead leg at Doncaster in his second game for his new club: "Marlon will have a fitness test before we travel, but it might be a little bit too soon for him. I’ve had a chat with him and the physios and what we don’t want to do is rush him back before he’s completely ready.
"He told me that he wants to come back flying fit so that he gets his 20 goals without having to get injured again, so we will see how he is and if there is any doubt whatsoever then I will pull him back and see if we can get him right for Cardiff.
"He trained with us for five weeks before he signed but the intensity of league football is bound to take its toll, even for a guy of his experience and quality. We want to get him back playing but we don’t want to take any risks with him.”
On-loan Bolton midfielder Danny Ward has undergone a hernia operation, while keeper Kieren Westwood was withdrawn from the Irish squad and replaced by Town’s Brian Murphy earlier in the week after suffering a jaw injury in training. Scans showed no break and the former Carlisle man is expected to be OK.
Central defender James McPake will miss out due to concussion, while defenders Chris Hussey (foot) and Stephen O'Halloran (back) and midfielders Gary Deegan (ankle), David Bell (groin) and Isaac Osbourne (knee) are all longer-term absentees.
Town have a good record against Coventry over the years, winning 36 games (34 in the league), losing 21 times (19) and with 22 matches (21) ending in draws. The Sky Blues, who currently sit three points behind the Blues in ninth in the Championship, haven’t won at Portman Road since a 2-0 Premier League victory in April 1994.
A last-gasp Pablo Couñago goal deep into injury time gave the Blues a well-deserved 3-2 victory in last season’s corresponding fixture, just as it appeared that Richard Wood had grabbed a late point for the Sky Blues.
Town had gone behind to Clinton Morrison’s early goal, but took control and hit back through Stern John and Jack Colback before the injury time drama.
On the opening day of last season Morrison scored both Coventry goals as the Sky Blues beat Town 2-1, Jon Walters netting for Town.
No current Coventry player has appeared for Town’s first team, although defender Richard Keogh was a Blues academy schoolboy and ballboy as a teenager.
Town keeper Márton Fülöp made 33 appearances while on loan with the Sky Blues when a Tottenham player during the 2005/06 season.
Fellow glovesman Arran Lee-Barrett spent six months at the Ricoh Arena from January 2007, initially on loan from Weymouth, but failed to make a senior appearance. Midfielder Colin Healy was on loan with the Sky Blues in 2002 when a Celtic player.
Saturday’s referee is Rob Shoebridge from Derbyshire, who has shown 17 yellow cards and two red in nine games so far this season. Shoebridge’s last Town match was the 3-2 extra time victory over Exeter in the Carling Cup earlier in the season in which he booked David Norris and one Grecians player.
Exeter defender Billy Jones should have seen red late on for pulling back Ronan Murray when the striker was through on goal but Shoebridge failed to show a card of either colour and awarded a freekick despite the incident occurring well inside the area. The National Group official, who was the ref who failed to spot Crystal Palace’s goal against Bristol City last season, also missed a blatant handball in the build-up to Exeter’s first goal.
Squad from: Fülöp, Murphy, Eastman, Peters, Kennedy, McAuley, Smith, Delaney, Brown, Leadbitter, Norris, Livermore, Hyam, Colback, Healy, Edwards, Townsend, Lambe, Scotland, Priskin, Wickham.