Town will be without Luke Chambers, Daryl Murphy, Cole Skuse, Aaron Cresswell and Anthony Wordsworth when they take on Preston in Tuesday’s FA Cup third round replay at Deepdale. Manager Mick McCarthy has included youngsters Byron Lawrence, Kyle Hammond and, for the first time, Matt Clarke in the travelling party.
Chambers came off with an injury late on during the game against QPR and McCarthy says he’ll not make the trip: "He’s struggling with a tight hamstring. Bearing in mind I’ve got five recognised defenders, I’m not going to risk him. He won’t be playing.
"Murph will be training today but he’s not ready for Tuesday, but should be for Millwall. Skusey’s got a dead leg as well, that’s somebody else that won’t be involved.
"Cressy has had a bit of fluid on his knee. He’ll be fine for Saturday but I’m not prepared to risk any of them.
"It’s not about picking and choosing games, I’ve got five defenders and I’d sooner they missed one game. I said that to Murph about the QPR game, if you’re going to miss that, miss that, but be ready for the next 10 or 15 games because he’s been fit all the time. We’ve only got a small squad so I need to make sure they stay fit.”
Midfielder Wordsworth has been ill for the last 10 days and will also miss out: "I haven’t seen him since we played against Preston,” McCarthy said. "He’s had tonsillitis, he’s had a really bad dose of it. I’m hoping he’s in today, but there’s no chance he’ll make the trip.”
Already sidelined was recent signing Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who suffered a hamstring injury in the first Preston game and will be out for three to four weeks.
Academy second-year scholars Lawrence, who made his senior debut at Doncaster on the final day of the 2011/12 season, and Hammond will again be part of the squad while first-year scholar Matt Clarke, a central midfielder or defender, who has been handed the number 40, will be in the senior party for the first time, having broken into the U21s last season while still a schoolboy.
"They’re both travelling, and Matt Clarke is travelling as well to make up the 18,” McCarthy confirmed. "We’ve got a cross section from about 15 to 35 in the squad.”
McCarthy confirmed that Scott Loach would start in goal, Tyrone Mings would be in the defence and that Stephen Hunt would also be in the side, while Alan Lee again seems set to be part of the squad.
Meanwhile, McCarthy wouldn’t be drawn on whether there is anything in reports that the Blues and Leicester are interested in taking 18-year-old Chelsea central defender, midfielder or left-back Nathan Aké on loan: "I wouldn’t tell you if there was.”
Town and the Foxes are reported to have watched Dutch U21 international Aké, who was a youth player with hometown club ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord before moving to Stamford Bridge in 2011, in action for Chelsea’s U21s against Reading last week.
Aké has made one Premier League start and two sub appearances, in addition to one start and one sub appearance in the Europa League.