Town boss Paul Jewell says loan midfielder Jimmy Bullard will be given every chance to be fit for Saturday’s trip to Leeds. With Bullard having a hamstring injury, skipper David Norris suspended and Colin Healy out with a stomach problem the Blues manager has looked to the loan market, but so far without success.
Jewell said: "I don’t know whether Jimmy’s going to be fit. We’ll give him every opportunity, but we have to leave that decision with Jimmy because with hamstrings only the player knows whether he can play.
"On Tuesday Jimmy had a fitness test and was very positive until he started trying to sprint and he could feel it.”
While the Blues boss could look to youngsters such as Luke Hyam, he believes his side needs more experience: "We are very stretched and we’ve made a couple of enquiries trying to get some players in on loan but unfortunately we’ve not been successful at the moment.
"We’ve made a couple of enquiries for Premier League players but a couple of them have been knocked back by their managers because they’re in their 25 and they want to save them until after this weekend with a couple of cup matches going on and stuff like that. We could do with a couple in though.”
Healy will be assessed at training this morning having missed the last few games with a torn stomach muscle. The former Cork City man and full-back Mark Kennedy (hamstring) are unlikely to be involved.
Captain Norris is unavailable for the next two matches having picked up his 10th booking of the season in Tuesday’s defeat to Reading.