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McCarthy: Gerken Starts, Sears a Doubt - Ipswich Town News

Town boss Mick McCarthy has confirmed that Dean Gerken will keep his place in goal at Leeds United on Tuesday, while striker Freddie Sears is a doubt with a tight hamstring.

Quizzed on whether he would switch Gerken for Bartosz Bialkowski following Friday’s 5-1 defeat at Reading, McCarthy confirmed: "Gerks will be playing. I think when you’ve conceded eight goals in two games, and I’ve said this to them, all positions are under threat.

"But I don’t believe in knee-jerk reactions because if you do that and somebody comes in and they don’t play well, you’ve not got a lot of room to manoeuvre then, have you? You’ve got to go back to Plan A.

"So, if Plan A’s all right and it’s worked for a long period of time, then keep with it. I’m not one that changes people for the sake it because each and every one of them was hurting just as much as I was, were just as embarrassed as I was about the other night.

"And it’s even worse for them, they were on the field. I’ve been there, I’ve been a player, but none of them let me down or let the club down intentionally, it was just a bad day in the office and we all have them.”

The Blues boss says Sears is the only injury concern following Friday’s game: "Freddie’s got a tight hamstring, we’ll just have to wait and see how he is. He’s the only one.

"But, of course, Teddy and Kevin Bru are playing in the U21s [at Birmingham] today, as is Tommy Oar. But all the others are fine.

"Freddie’s been exceptional, I’d be desperate to have him in the squad but what I won’t do is risk him.

"We had a bad day in the office on Friday, although I thought he was excellent again, but we’ve plenty of games left so I wouldn’t risk him at all.”

McCarthy confirmed that Daryl Murphy, a sub at the Madejski Stadium, is fit enough to start having been out with a calf injury.

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