Town boss Mick McCarthy believes his players deserve praise for staying firmly in the play-off hunt despite having lost key men for long periods of the season. The Blues go into today's game at Bristol City seventh, two points behind Sheffield Wednesday in the final play-off place.
Ryan Fraser is facing six to eight weeks out with a hamstring injury having previously been out for almost two months with a knee problem, David McGoldrick has been sidelined since mid-December, also with a hamstring injury having had previous problems this year and in previous seasons, and Teddy Bishop is yet to make a senior appearance during 2015/16 due to a number of injuries.
In addition, linchpin midfielder Cole Skuse is out for four to six weeks with a toe injury and Giles Coke - a potential replacement for the Bristolian - has joined him on the sidelines with a knee problem which will keep him out for a month.
"I think it’s a testament to how they all are, the shift that they put in every week,” McCarthy said.
"We’re not the best team in the league but, boy, they don’t half put a shift in every week and work hard.
"I just watched Birmingham play against Bristol City and I’m thinking teams when they’re playing us they know what’s coming.
"Bristol City murdered them for 45 minutes, I know they were away, but I think that was nothing like the Birmingham performance we played against.
"I admire our lads, they just keep getting on with it and we’re still focused on getting back in the top six irrespective of everything else that’s going on.”
Reflecting further on the injury situation, McCarthy added: "Everybody gets them. But they are big players for us. We’ve lost Didzy a couple of times now and it’s cost us in the end.
"He came back towards the end of last season, but he’s got such good quality and so has Bish and Ryan and Skusey, those four they would be regulars in the team if they were all fit.”
Following Derby head coach Paul Clement’s exit earlier in the week there was talk that the Rams’ squad had grown too large and unwieldy and McCarthy says he prefers not to have too many players with some inevitably left kicking their heels.
"In fairness, I’ve always worked with about 18 players, 20 players and then we’ve supplemented it with youngsters,” he added.
"We still do with Josh Emmanuel, with Myles Kenlock, with Adam McDonnell, they come into the squad and I prefer it that way.
"I don’t like to leave players sitting in the stand. If we’re travelling away and we’ve got 24 I don’t like sitting the first-team players who can’t be involved up in the stand because it’s a bit monotonous doing the travelling if you’re not playing and it’s a bit soul-destroying if you’re sat up with the opposition and you’re watching the game.
"But on the other side of that, if we have got that many players I don’t like leaving them at home either because on the Saturday when the team’s gone on Friday afternoon and you’ve waved them bye-bye it seems a long way before you can get a game.
"But in a strange way having that small, compact squad where you can hang your hat on every one of them - 18 players, two keepers - it’s a good way to have it.”