Young full-backs Josh Emmanuel and Myles Kenlock will have “learned massively” from Tuesday’s hard-fought 1-1 draw at Brighton and Hove Albion, according to manager Mick McCarthy.
Emmanuel, 19, was making his 17th first-team start for the Blues, in addition to three sub appearances - as well as one start and one game as a substitute while on loan at Crawley last season - while 20-year-old Kenlock was in the XI for 10th time, having come off the bench once.
"It certainly was a big test, playing against Solly March on one side and Anthony Knockaert on the other, and both having been booked early on,” McCarthy said.
"To then get through the game and not get another booking with Knockaert running at you and twisting your blood is pretty good going.
"They’ll have learned massively from that and they were both knackered, absolutely knackered.
"I think people and maybe you guys [in the media] underestimate the level of fitness that footballers are at when they've got games Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday.
"Saturday was a really tough game and then they have to go on Tuesday again. And it takes you a while, when you’re 26 or 27, even Dougie at 35 has got that battle hardness, he can do it.
"But the young lads who come in, they have to put so much effort into it on the Saturday that Tuesday comes around and it’s a big ask to go again.
"So they were knackered, but I thought they were great, they stuck with it and it got tough for them near the end when they were putting subs on but fair play to them, they’ve shown a bit of mettle.”
Does he believe first-team football can be a shock for youngsters? "It’s always an eye-opener. You think you’ll hold somebody off the ball and suddenly they find he’s just as strong as you and he knocks you off it or you go into a 50/50 that you’d have won all day long when you’re in the youth team and somebody nails you.
"You go for a header which you think you’re going to win and some crafty centre forward just goes ‘Bosh, have some of that!’.
"Or you’re playing up front and some centre-half wires into you and nails you and you think ‘Wow, that’s a test’.
"Of course it’s an eye opener, it’s their education and the pair of them are doing great, they’re doing fine."