Mick McCarthy says striker Jack Marriott is a better player for his spells out on loan this season. The 19-year-old netted 13 goals in 23 starts and one sub appearance during two spells with Skrill Premier side Woking either side of a short-lived loan with League One Gillingham, for whom he made one brief sub appearance.
Marriott was recalled from the Cards recently and has been an unused sub in Town’s last three games. On Monday he scored four times for a Blues development side as they won 5-2 at Peterborough.
McCarthy says it was Marriott’s first spell at the Kingfield Stadium, when he scored nine goals in nine games, which saw him make most progress: "After he went and scored his goals, that’s when I saw the difference in him.
"When he first went out and played, having scored his goals and then trained - because he was still training with us as well - he’d got a spring in his step and was sharper and looked better, and he’s still at that level.
"He’s not kicked on again because he’s still at that level. He’s certainly better than when he went out, that’s for sure.”
Marriott’s only senior appearance for the Blues came on the final day of last season as a second half sub at Burnley. The academy graduate, who signed a new contract until the summer of 2015 in December, will hope to add to his debut when Sheffield Wednesday are at Portman Road on Saturday for the final game of this campaign.