Daryl Murphy, Cole Skuse and Luke Hyam return to the Town side away against fellow play-off challengers Cardiff City this afternoon.
Brett Pitman and Jonathan Douglas drop to the bench, while Kevin Foley, who was suffering with bruised ribs after the Bolton game, isn’t in the 18.
McCarthy could start with Murphy and Freddie Sears in a front two with Kevin Bru and Ben Pringle in narrow roles on the right and left respectively, or alternatively Murphy could start as a lone striker with Sears wide on the right.
Keeper Michael Crowe has returned from his loan spell at Braintree and is on the bench with Dean Gerken unwell.
Cardiff are without first-choice keeper David Marshall due to a virus and Simon Moore starts in his place. Former Blues academy schoolboy Stuart O’Keefe starts in midfield.
Cardiff: Moore, Peltier, Connolly, Manga, Malone, Noone, O’Keefe, Ralls, Whittingham, Pilkington (c), Immers. Subs: Wilson, Morrison, Dikgacoi, Ameobi, Zahore, Gunnarsson, Lawrence.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Hyam, Bru, Pringle, Sears, Murphy. Subs: Crowe, Digby, Tabb, Douglas, Maitland-Niles, Varney, Pitman. Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire).