Boss Paul Jewell says new loan signing Kieron Dyer will have benefited from his 74 minutes at Leeds having not started a game for West Ham since mid-December. The Blues manager says he was pleased with the 32-year-old’s performance on a surface he felt didn’t particularly suit him.
Jewell said: "He’ll be better for the 70-odd minutes. I didn’t plan to play him for that long as we’re trying to ease him in.
"But he showed flashes of skill and quality in a game which doesn’t really suit him and I think he’ll be a really good addition to us. I don’t think the pitch suited us trying to get the ball down.
"That’s the first game he’s had for a while, certainly starting in the first team. I thought, considering the pace and toughness of the game, he stood up well to it and at times showed flashes of quality.”
The Town manager says the switch was only confirmed the day before the match: "I got a text message from Karren Brady at 6.15 on Friday morning to say we could do it — it's a 24-hour job this!
"We’re delighted to have him and getting through a tough game will put him in good stead for Tuesday. He’ll be a bit stiff in the morning, but we’ll see how he is.”
Jewell says that at the moment Dyer’s signing is for the initial 28 days but that this could change: "To start with it’s a month and we’ll take it from there.”
After the Leeds game, the Blues boss had particular praise for central defender Gareth McAuley, who picked up a cut early on when caught by Billy Paynter’s elbow, an incident Jewell didn’t see: "Gareth McAuley had five stitches in his ear.
"It was the longest five stitches I’ve ever known because he went in at half-time and just about made the second half. Maybe the doc was doing it with a blindfold on!
"I thought he was excellent today, I even saw him get angry in the second half, that’s the first time I've seen that.”
Jewell felt referee Darren Deadman did well in difficult circumstances with the home fans constantly on his back in the first half in particular: "It’s always a concern that the passionate crowd that they’ve got here can, I wouldn’t say influence referees, but twist their arm.”
While Dyer was the focus of much of the post-match attention, the Town manager said his other 32-year-old loanee came through the match without a problem having been out of action with a hamstring injury: "Jimmy Bullard passed his test on Friday and he was very close to making it on Tuesday. He got through the game and we’re delighted to have Jimmy as well.”
As for further loan signings, Jewell says he’s now targeting younger players: "We’re trying to get some 31-year-olds in! We’re looking to youth!”
Photo: ITFC