Town midfielder Cole Skuse has provided an insight into the “freak” toe injury that saw him miss five games recently.
Skuse, who had to be substituted in the second half of the 1-0 defeat at QPR in early February, was initially told to expect to be on the sidelines for around six weeks but made an earlier-than-expected return to first team action for the trip to Cardiff exactly 35 days later.
The 30-year-old said: "The toe’s okay. It was a strange injury but it was also a nasty one. I’m just staying on top of it and I’ll keep it strapped up until the end of the season.
"I went to see a specialist in London and he said he had never seen that type of injury before in a footballer, only rugby players.
"He said it’s a very common injury in rugby. I stood on the back of the lad’s heel, my toe went upwards and I tore a ligament underneath my foot. I was told it was a bit of a freak one for a footballer.
"It was very painful but although the specialist said I would be out for about six weeks I was back earlier than that, but I’m still having to look after it and monitor it.
"It was brutal timing because it happened just before I was going back home to my old club, Bristol City. You want to play every game but I especially wanted to play at my old club and I was looking forward to it.”
Skuse remains upbeat about Town’s chances of emulating last season’s play-off finish when they pipped Wolves, who they face at Molineux tomorrow, by just four goals after the sides finished level on the 78-point mark.
Asked if the players were coping with the physical demands put on them by manager Mick McCarthy he said: "He does ask a lot of us but if you look at the stats — and I know they don’t say everything — we’re one of the fitted teams in the league. The group of lads we have here are very, very fit.
"Lids [fitness coach Andy Liddell] keeps us in great shape. In this league and the top league you get little breaks when the international games come round and you can switch off for a few days and relax.”
Skuse was also asked if he felt there was sufficient quality in the ranks for Town to secure a top-six slot and he responded: "It’s very true that you don’t just win a league through running.
"But I can go back to an interview I did earlier in the season when I said I thought the squad is maybe stronger than last season and I think the quality we have is there in abundance.
"I don’t think anyone can really doubt or question that — it’s just about us putting it on to the pitch on a weekend.”
News that fit-again David McGoldrick, whose last senior outing came in early December, will travel to the Midlands for tomorrow's game along with teenage midfielder Teddy Bishop, who has yet to play in the current campaign, has provided a timely boost to Town’s play-off hopes.
Skuse added: "Didzy has trained for the last couple of weeks and looked very good and sharp. He’s a fantastic player and there’s Bish as well. He’s come back and trained a little bit. Like I said, the quality is there in abundance, but it’s just transforming it on to the pitch.
"We’ve done lots on the training ground this week so we’ll see how Saturday goes. Didzy being back and Bish on the comeback trail adds that little bit of flair and game-changing ability to what we have.
"There is a bit of pressure on the lads who are coming back but if you asked them they would give you the same answer — it’s just part and parcel of the job. They can and will deal with the pressure.”