Boss Mick McCarthy says he’s keen to get some of his young pros out on loan but has received no further interest from clubs wanting to take them. Prior to the transfer window closing an unnamed non-league side made an enquiry regarding 18-year-old left-back David October, who opted against the switch to stay and play for Town’s U21s to try and attract a Football League club.
The Blues handed one-year pro deals to October and four other academy graduates - strikers Jack Marriott and Tom Winter, midfielder or defender Jonny Leddy and winger Mark Timlin — in the summer and McCarthy believes they'd benefit from gaining experience while on loan.
"I’ve had nobody come back and want any of the young ones,” the Town boss said. "If they did I’d talk to them.”
Although ideally wanting to get at least some of them out on loan, he says there is a positive side to having the likes of the quintet and recent additions Jack Doherty and Jordan Adekunle playing regularly for the U21s.
"It’s kind of nice that Mark Kennedy’s got the young guys together, they’re sticking together and playing,” he said.
"And they should improve. It’s not easy for them, the young ones in that U21 league. I like the fact that he’s almost got a squad of players.
"He keeps having to take a few of the youngsters and maybe one or two of the first teamers drop in, but it would be nice if he’d just got a squad he could play week in, week out.”
Striker Winter spent time on loan at Ryman League Premier Division Leiston at the end of last season and McCarthy isn’t ruling out allowing his first-year pros to move to clubs at that level: "Wait until I get asked and I’ll decide on that.
"You’re better playing where there’s a crowd and where there’s points at stake and people are turning up and it’s a proper environment in which to play.
"The U21s isn’t that, you’re not playing on a Saturday afternoon at three o’clock where your mates are turning up to watch you and all the crowd are coming in, whether that’s 500 or 5,000 or 50,000.
"I think it improves you as a player just to play in that environment where points mean prizes.”
Scouts interested in taking the Blues’ youngsters on loan are next able to run the rule over them when the U21s take on West Ham away in a behind closed doors friendly on Friday afternoon.