Boss Mick McCarthy has confirmed that Josh Emmanuel, Myles Kenlock and Teddy Bishop will all start for the Blues in their final home game against the MK Dons tomorrow afternoon, however, striker Daryl Murphy remains sidelined with his calf injury and is now unlikely to be involved for Town again this season.
"I don’t think we’ll be seeing Murph now,” McCarthy admitted. "Although he’ll be fit to travel with the Republic of Ireland [ahead of the Euros], which is sad for us, of course, and it’s sad that he’s missed so many games this season having had such a great season last year. But we can’t do anything about that.
"He’ll be fine [for Ireland’s friendlies in May]. He tried to get back and he felt it again, so it’s just put him back. He’ll just have to make sure that he doesn’t try to do it too early. He’ll be fine.”
Better news is that Luke Varney is over his hamstring injury and Christophe Berra the knee problem which forced him at at Middlesbrough last week.
"Luke Varney’s OK and Berra’s OK,” he added. "Jonas Knudsen, he’s fine, although he got a dead leg in and around his knee [at the Riverside] and it just stiffened up, so he’s a bit of an issue. Chambo rocked his ankle in training the other day, but they’re fine.”
However, he says 18-year-old Josh Emmanuel will be handed his third league start - in addition to one Championship sub appearance and three cup starts - and Myles Kenlock, 19, his league debut in the right and left full-back roles respectively. Kenlock has previously started three cup games.
"They’re both playing tomorrow,” McCarthy confirmed. "I was always tempted, it’s a game where we can’t get in the play-offs and we’re not going to affect anybody else.
"We want to win the game, let’s just clear that up, as do the MK Dons. I see [MK boss Karl Robinson has] told his players already, the ones that aren’t going to be there next year, that they won’t be involved.
"Josh has has done well when he’s played, Myles has did OK in the cup ties. I really want to be thinking this summer, ‘You know what? Those two can play, I don’t need back-up. I’ve got Jonas and I’ve got Myles and I’ve got Josh as cover for full-backs and they can play’. They’re both starting tomorrow and we’ll see how they do.”
The Town boss also confirmed that midfielder Bishop will make his first senior start of the season having started three U21s games and made two senior sub appearances.
"Bish is playing tomorrow, he’s starting,” McCarthy added. "Whether we see him get through the whole game I don’t know.
"I just think he’s ready to start and whatever we can get out of him, 45 minutes at full tilt or 60 minutes, that would be great. It would be great for him, for his self-esteem going into the summer.”
As reported earlier in the week, 16-year-old Andre Dozzell has already gone away with the England U17s squad ahead of the European Championships in Azerbaijan, while 18-year-old midfielder Adam McDonnell will be in the squad and McCarthy says the Irishman could make his league debut at some stage.