Town boss Mick McCarthy believes striker Jack Marriott - who will make his first start for the Blues at Crawley this evening - is a better player for his loan spells with Woking in the Skrill Premier last season.
"He is different, he’s leaner, he’s more serious about his game, about his fitness and I think you get that through going and playing every week,” McCarthy said.
"Not that I’m saying he wasn’t before, but you get a little bit more aware of your body and how you need to be to get through games and how you need to be to get through a season playing at a tougher level.
"Believe me, that Skrill Premier isn’t easy to play in. Not that I played in it, thankfully, but I’ve watched enough of it to know that it’s a tough old league. He’s a better player for it.”
The 19-year-old scored 13 goals in 23 starts during two spells with the Cards last season with a short stint with Gillingham, in which he appeared once as a brief sub, sandwiched in between.
While Marriott and 17-year-old Barham-based ex-Claydon High School pupil Matt Clarke are both starting tonight, 18-year-olds Teddy Bishop, Byron Lawrence and Ben Wyatt, a left-back who signed after his release by Norwich in the summer, and 19-year-old former Spurs academy striker Darren McQueen are set to be amongst the subs.
McCarthy says he’s been particularly impressed by first-year pro Bishop: "He’s a very talented footballer, he sees a pass, he’s got good ball control, ball retention. He’s got a good range of passing.
"He’ll have a goal in him because he likes to get forward and get in a shot and he’s learned to do the dirty jobs as well - get back, track back, get in your shape and work hard and tackle. He’s progressing nicely and he’s improved a great deal.”
Meanwhile, McCarthy says right-back Kyle Hammond, who might also have been in the running for his senior debut tonight had he not ruptured an anterior cruciate knee ligament in March, is continuing his recovery.
The 18-year-old ex-Westbourne High School pupil isn’t due to be back in action until the end of the year but the Town boss says his rehab is going to plan: "He’s looking to get on the AlterG, which is a machine where you can run while weightless. He’s progressing and he is where he’s expected to be.”