Boss Mick McCarthy says there’s no point in him moaning about the loss of top scorer David McGoldrick, despite admitting that it was a significant blow to the Blues’ play-off ambitions. Instead he says he views his 16-goal top scorer’s absence as a chance for his other strikers.
McGoldrick's season was almost certainly ended by a partial tear to a medial knee ligament sustained in the closing stages of the goalless draw with Blackpool last month and so far no one has staked their claim for regular inclusion up front with Daryl Murphy during the former Nottingham Forest man's absence.
Frank Nouble was used in a three-man attack until he suffered a hamstring injury, while Paul Taylor came into the team for the 1-0 victory over Birmingham and then the 2-0 loss at Middlesbrough and then Sylvan Ebanks-Blake started the 1-0 win at Yeovil on Tuesday.
On-loan Welsh international Jonny Williams impressed from the bench at Huish Park and could get the nod to play in a role just behind Murphy when Wigan visit Portman Road on Saturday.
"I think anybody who loses a player who has been in such form as David McGoldrick would miss him,” McCarthy said
"But I try not to put too much store in that and bemoan that because I always find that a bit of a slur on the players who come in, a bit of an insult to them.
"You know when you’ve got a good player and you don’t want to lose your better players who have been playing well, but I try and open the door for somebody else and see how they’re going to do.
"If you keep bemoaning the lack of one of your players, it doesn’t do the confidence of the other players any good. Let’s hope somebody else steps up.”
However, he says having someone in a team who can score a goal out of nothing as McGoldrick can gives the other members of the side an unconscious boost: "In a game, if you’ve conceded one, you settle back down and you see your star striker and he has an effort.
"Then in yourself you’re just confident that you’re going to get back into it. It’s not an instant thought, ‘We’ve got so and so playing, it might happen…’ but if you’ve got him and he is playing at the top of his game, and he was excellent up until he got injured, it does help.”
He added: "It’s a blow but moaning about it won’t make him fit and I can alienate other people, so I prefer to go the other way and try and be positive.
"There’ll be about two or three others who are thrilled that he’ll not be there as they’ll have a better chance of playing.”
Meanwhile, McCarthy says 17-year-old midfielder Teddy Bishop, who has travelled to the last two first-team games, could make his senior debut before the end of the campaign.
The Cambridge-based second-year scholar has impressed the Blues boss with his performances in the U18s, U21s and in training.
McCarthy outlined what he likes about him: "His ability. He’s comfortable with the ball, he’s doing very well.
"He’s trained with the first team. He’d be one that, if we’re not in the play-off shout towards the end of the season, I think I’d look to give some part of a game of some sort. We’ll see. He’s been training well with us.”
Elsewhere, there were mixed results for Town's play-off rivals last night. Saturday's opponents Wigan beat Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 to move up to seventh behind sixth-placed Reading on goal difference having played two games fewer than the Royals and the Blues.
Blackburn lost 1-0 at home to Bournemouth and remain 10th, five points behind Town in ninth with a game in hand.