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Sears Fine and McCarthy Hopeful on Skuse and Fraser - Ipswich Town News

Town boss Mick McCarthy says he’s hopeful that both Cole Skuse and Ryan Fraser will be fit for Friday’s live Sky game against Birmingham at Portman Road (KO 7.45pm), while striker Freddie Sears will be fine having missed Tuesday’s game at Leeds with a tight hamstring.

Skuse and Fraser were both replaced in the 76th minute at Elland Road, the former Bristol City man with a knee problem and the Scotland U21 international having taken a series of knocks.

"I’m hopeful,” McCarthy said. "Cole came out and did the warm-up and he’ll be fine. Ryan’s still having treatment, so we’ll wait until tomorrow. He just got a kick, he got a few kicks, to be fair.”

McCarthy says Sears will also be OK to face the Midlanders: "Freddie’s fine. Freddie couldn’t have played at full tilt [at Leeds], at 100 per cent and I needed everybody at 100 per cent on Tuesday night.

"If he had gone out and tried it 100 per cent and he’d got injured we’d got 40 games left, 39 now, so there was no point.

"And I’ve got good strikers, it’s not like before when I’d got Murph and Didz and, with the greatest respect to all the others, they weren’t Murph and Didz.

"Well, I’ve got Murph and Didz and Brett and Freddie now and they’re all really good strikers.

"So, if one of them’s got a problem I don’t have to be wheeling him out and getting the best of him for 60 minutes, I’ve got options. It’s great.”

McCarthy also confirmed that Kevin Bru and Teddy Bishop should be back in the squad following their hamstring problems after playing for the U21s against Birmingham on Monday.

"Kevin’s trained and Bish trained yesterday, so I’m hoping that they’ll be OK,” the Blues manager added.

Recent signing Tommy Oar also played in the U21s game and could also be in the matchday 18 for the first time.

Friday's match is a Kid for a Quid game with under-16s able to watch the match for £1 in all areas of the ground.

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