Assistant boss Chris Hutchings says Town will be looking to ensure that they at least beat last season’s finish of 13th place between now and the end of the campaign. After 34 games, the Blues currently sit in 15th on 44 points, 18 fewer than last year’s ultimate total, with a play-off push possible but unlikely.
Hutchings, who took on Paul Jewell's usual media duties ahead of the trip to Hull, said: "It’s always important to finish well. Our objective is to finish higher than we did last season. If we don’t do that we’ll be very disappointed.
"You want to improve. We all start out with the same ambition, to get promoted or to get into the play-offs, but if you don’t achieve them, then you’ve got to finish higher than you did last year.
"It’s a stepping stone. We’re going in the right direction. We’ve played a lot of young players who haven’t played at this level this year, but we want success along the way. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to achieve that, other times it takes that little bit longer.
"We’ll see how far we can go. We’re on a great run of form, as good as the top two have produced over the last seven games. Can we keep it going? It’s a big test at Hull, so we’ll wait and see.”
He says one or two more younger players might get their chance between now and the end of the season, but only if they show they’re worth a place in training: "It’s about opportunities. First and foremost you’ve got to do it at the training ground and in the reserve games.
"We want to be able to say ‘Bloody hell, Joe Whight’s doing really well or Callum Bennett’s doing really well or Josh Carson, he’s on fire’.
"They’ve got to make us think — are you going to be good enough to go in there? Are you ready to be in that squad, even travelling as the 18th man?
"We’ll see where we are, how we’re developing with four or five games to go and if we’re doing OK and we feel that they are ready to go in, they might get a look-in, but it’s up to them.”