Town striker Daryl Murphy is not in the Blues’ 18 for today’s home game against Preston with the Irishman understood to have travelled to Newcastle for talks regarding his move to the Magpies and to undergo a medical. TWTD revealed that the North-East club were closing in on signing the 33-year-old yesterday evening.
The clubs are believed to have agreed a fee believed to be around £3.5 million. According to some reports the striker handed in a transfer request.
Murphy is replaced in today’s side by Brett Pitman, while Tommy Smith comes back in for Adam Webster, who drops to the bench.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Douglas, Bru, Ward, Sears, Pitman. Subs: Gerken, Webster, Kenlock, Digby, Bishop, Varney, Dozzell.
Preston: Lindegaard, Humphrey, Clarke, Wright, Cunningham, Spurr, Welsh, Gallagher, Johnson, Robinson and Beckford. Subs: Maxwell, Huntington, Grimshaw, Browne, Doyle, Hugill, Makienok.