Town boss Mick McCarthy plans to give some of his senior players a longer run-out tonight when the Blues travel to the Weston Homes Community Stadium to take on League One Colchester United (KO 7.45pm).
Starting line-ups close to McCarthy’s first XI have played the first hour of their last two friendlies at Cambridge and Peterborough but he says they'll play for longer this evening: "It might be a bit more for some of them.”
Speaking following Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Posh at London Road, McCarthy said he also expects former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Giles Coke, who is training with the club for a few days and who started on Saturday, to again be involved: "I think Giles will still be here.”
The Town boss also hoped that Brett Pitman would be back after suffering a minor foot injury at Cambridge and that Freddie Sears - one of two ex-Colchester players in the Blues squad along with keeper Dean Gerken - would be OK having also missed the Peterborough match due to a tight thigh muscle.
After four friendlies McCarthy says he’s starting to feel the new season excitement but admits that he’s no fan of pre-season.
"I can’t wait, I hate these games, with a vengeance! I hate them!” he said. "I just don’t get the buzz for pre-season friendlies, I never did as a player and I don’t as a manager.
"I keep saying it’s a means to an end. Listen, I want my team to play well and I want them to win, but they haven’t got that cutting edge that gives me the buzz, I’m afraid.”
Colchester manager and former Town centre-half Tony Humes says his team will have to improve at the back against the Blues having been defeated 3-0 at home by Leyton Orient on Saturday.
"It’ll be a different test but it’s one we’ve got to be ready for,” he said. "We’ll certainly have to be sharper and there are little lessons to be learnt from Saturday. We’ve got deal with crosses and long balls better, that’s for sure.
"It’s a game we’re all looking forward to tonight and it’s good to play your local rivals.
"You never want to do much travelling in pre-season and it’s great to have West Ham, Orient and Ipswich here.
"It’s going to be a good occasion, but the most important thing is improving and getting minutes under our belts before the start of the season. We’re putting things in place and asking certain players to do certain things.”
Former Blues Tom Eastman and Byron Lawrence are both currently with the U’s, while midfielder Drey Wright is the son of ex-Town man Jermaine and striker Macauley Bonne is from Ipswich and was a schoolboy at Playford Road.
In addition to Humes, the Colchester staff also includes assistant manager Richard Hall, a former Kesgrave High School pupil and one-time Blues youth player and coach, academy coaches John McGreal, David Wright, Wayne Brown and Fabian Wilnis, and press and communications officer David Gregory.
The Blues have sold out of their additional allocation of seats, taking the total to 1,800 tickets, however, Town fans will be able to purchase print-at-home tickets in the North Stand and then the East Stand online in advance of the match from the U's here.
Any remaining East Stand tickets will be on sale on the night, although queues are likely. Tickets for the car park next to the ground have sold out. Further information on parking and travel in general can be found here.
Meanwhile, former Millwall right-back Alan Dunne, linked with the Blues early in the summer, has signed a two-year deal with Leyton Orient.