Cole Skuse will make his 59th appearance — and look to finally score his first goal — for Town at Charlton today.
But if you think he is concerned that he has yet to break his scoring duck you would be wrong, because the rangy midfielder, who netted nine times in 308 outings for previous club Bristol City, readily admitted: "It doesn’t bother me in the slightest and I’m certainly not losing any sleep over it.”
Skuse doesn’t even mind laughing at his own expense as he added: "I’ve asked for one in my stocking at Christmas so let’s hope my missus can buy me one.
"But seriously, the fact that I have yet to score isn’t a big deal to me and it’s not weighing on my mind.
"If I had been at Bristol City and scored 20 goals one season, 15 the next and 22 the one after that, then come here and not scored for 18 months, I’d be upset with myself.
"The manager is always in my ear in training telling me ‘Look, you should be getting five or six a season the way you finish’.
"I’m not going to blow my own trumpet too much but I’m probably one of the better finishers in training. I know things happen in training — you’re in different positions and scenarios — but I’m never going to beat myself up about the fact that I’ve yet to score a goal for the club.
"If we’re doing well as a team — Murph’s on fire, Teddy’s got his goal, Luke’s got one and Didzy is always going to get goals and do stuff for us — I’m fine with it.
"If I do my bit for the team and it goes unnoticed I’m not bothered by that and I’m not bothered if I don’t score. I’m never going to be a real headliner or a fans’ favourite but as long as I do my business I’m alright.
"The manager would say I’m a composed finisher in training, with my left or right foot, and that I should be getting five or six goals a season.
"I talk to my dad a lot and he is singing from the same hymn sheet as me — if I’m conducting myself right, doing my bit for the team and the team is doing well I should be happy. But then again he’s always said I should score more goals!”
Skuse can adapt his game regardless of whether McCarthy opts for a 4-4-2 formation or favours a 4-3-3 system, which means incorporating three central midfield players.
He said: "I’ve done it many times in my career, sitting a bit deeper with the other two roaming off to do their bits, and it’s certainly not alien to me. I think we’ve played well when we’ve played with three in the middle.
"The gaffer has obviously thought about his blend of players and if one is going to sit he wants the others to do their thing. Kevin [Bru] is very inventive, you’ve got Jonny [Williams] and Teddy [Bishop] who can take people on and go past them, and Luke Hyam is very good at breaking stuff up and getting forward. He’s got a really good blend of midfielders and it’s up to him to decide who plays.”
Skuse has also filled in at right-back when required and with Christophe Berra suspended for the visit to Charlton and Tyrone Mings a doubt with a dead leg he could be forced to play there at The Valley.
He added: "I’ve played there before but I won’t be knocking on the manager’s door asking him to play me there. However, if we have problems with injuries I’ll be more than happy to fill in there.
"I hate it when I’m not fit because I’m not the best spectator. It’s very, very tough when the lads are flying. It’s like going back to your days as a fan because you’re sitting there tense and after it’s finished you feel as if you’ve played the game.
"It’s hard and frustrating, and I’m not the happiest person at home when I’m not playing. I tend to mope around and lock myself in a room.”