Town boss Paul Jewell has included academy first-year scholar Byron Lawrence in the squad for this week’s two-game tour of Holland. However, there is no place for either Nathan Ellington or Jaime Peters in the party which travels tomorrow.
Lawrence’s inclusion seemed likely after he was left out of the U18s squad for today’s friendly at Kirkley and Pakefield. The 16-year-old made his first-team debut as a sub at Doncaster on the final day of last season.
At the end of last campaign, Blues boss Paul Jewell said Ellington and Peters could move on over the summer if clubs wanted them and talks regarding their futures are believed to have taken place with their agents. Both have a year remaining on their contracts.
New signing Elliott Hewitt travels despite being out of action until the September at the earliest having undergone hip surgery while with Macclesfield, although he is now doing some light running.
Town’s other new addition, central defender Luke Chambers, will make his first appearances in a blue shirt at Helmond Sport on Tuesday and Den Bosch on Thursday (both 7pm local time).
Tommy Smith, who has been suffering with a minor hamstring injury, is absent as he's due to meet up with the New Zealand Olympic squad.
Also missing is prospective new signing Cheick Kourouma who can't officially join the Blues until agreements are in place with his former clubs Sochaux, Real Zaragoza and Genoa regarding training and development compensation which could potentially be due as the midfielder is under 23 years of age.
The Italian club are the hold-up with the English and Italian FAs involved and the player himself having contacted his old club in order to get the paperwork sorted so he can put pen to paper.
Jewell is also taking a look at a couple of trialists while the squad is at their five-day training camp near Eindhoven.
Squad: Ainsley, Bullard, Carson, Chambers, Chopra, Cresswell, Delaney, Drury, Edwards, Emmanuel-Thomas, Hewitt, Hyam, Lawrence, Lee-Barrett, Martin, Murray, Scotland, Stevenson, Whight.