Central defender Danny Higginbotham says he’d be open to extending his loan with the Blues and would consider joining Town permanently if a deal could be done further along down the line. The 33-year-old’s initial one-month spell from Stoke is due to end after Tuesday’s home game against his and manager Paul Jewell’s former club Derby County with the Blues boss keen to keep him until at least January.
Higginbotham told the club site: "I’d definitely consider staying longer as I've really enjoyed my month here.
"As a footballer you want to be playing football, not just sat on a bench picking up your money, and I've done that here. You’re a long time retired so I want to be playing as much football as I possibly can do.
"Obviously the results haven’t gone the way we would have wanted but it’s still been an enjoyable month and I’d certainly be open to the option of staying longer if it became available.”
In terms of the long-term future, he added: "I’d consider a permanent move, of course, but that’s up to the powers that be to sort out first.
"We’re not at that stage so it’s not really a decision for me to make at the moment. I’ll just continue to enjoy my football and see how things develop.
"If the manager felt that was an option he may look at, then it’s definitely something I would be open to doing.”
Manager Jewell says the addition of the likes of Higginbotham and more recent recruits like Nigel Reo-Coker and Richie Wellens has added leadership to the squad: "There is a bit more about us now with the new lads coming in.
"Carlos is our captain, and we’ve got Luke Chambers as well, but there are more leaders amongst the group now.
"Richie is a good talker, Nigel has skippered clubs wherever he has been. We’ve got Danny at the back and he’s another one, another leader.
"At the start of the season we had a lot of young lads and they are going to be good players but we have got some men in the squad now, players who have been around the block a few times.
"It doesn’t guarantee you anything but the players we have added are winners and they have vastly improved the squad.”
Meanwhile, Saturday’s opponents Hull City are expected to have central defender James Chester, who has been out with a hamstring problem, and left-back Joe Dudgeon, who has had a knee injury, available for selection against Town.
Ex-Blue Alex Bruce is likely to miss out with a groin problem, while midfielder Robert Koren is definitely unavailable. Striker Matty Fryatt is also an absentee and will be assessed over the next few days before a decision is made on whether he’ll require Achilles’ surgery.