Centre-half Tommy Smith faces another one of his lengthy international round-trips this week with New Zealand in friendly action against China in Shanghai on Wednesday. Josh Carson is the only other member of the first team squad away on international duty this week with Town turning down Trinidad and Tobago’s request to field skipper Carlos Edwards in Caribbean Football Union Cup qualifiers.
Smith flew out to China on Sunday and is unlikely to be back in training at Playford Road until Friday morning.
Carson is with the Northern Ireland U21s, who take on England at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road on Tuesday.
As reported last week, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation asked if Town would release Edwards for the Caribbean Football Union Cup qualifiers against St Vincent and the Grenadines on Wednesday, Surinam on Friday and Cuba on Sunday, with all the games being played in Bacolet, Tobago.
But Soca Warriors interim coach Hutson Charles has confirmed that Town have turned down his association’s request.
While Wednesday is a designated international date, Friday and Sunday are not and Edwards would have missed Town’s game at Leicester if permission had been granted. The 34-year-old has been capped 82 times by his country, scoring four goals.