Town boss Mick McCarthy was delighted to see striker Aaron Drinan net a hat-trick for the U23s in this afternoon’s 4-3 defeat to Hull City, the January signing from Waterford having hit a rich vein of goalscoring form in recent matches. The Blues manager also had praise for Jack Lankester, who impressed alongside the Irishman against the Tigers.
"I’m delighted for him because he puts a real shift in does Aaron and the goals haven’t been going in for him,” McCarthy said.
"He got two [against Leeds last month] and then he got another one in the last game [against Cardiff] and he’s just got three, so I’m really pleased with him, delighted with him.
"And Jack Lankester played well as well, he’s been out on loan [at Bury Town] and he looks like somebody that’s grown up a bit from going out, so that was good.”
McCarthy says there is plenty of talent waiting his successor when they take over in the summer.
"I hope so, I hope they all continue to thrive, there’s some good prospects,” he added.
Yesterday, on-loan winger Danny Rowe was in the Lincoln City side which won the Checkatrade Trophy at Wembley. Does McCarthy believe the former Macclesfield man can still make it in the Championship?
"That’ll be for somebody else to decide, not me,” he continued. "I thought he could when he came here and I’ve not seen his games, although we’ve had people watch him regularly.
"And he’s done OK, nobody’s come back and said, ‘Gaffer, you’ve got to get him back, he’s got to come back’, so whilst he’s been ticking along nicely and he’s got his medal, he’s had his Wembley visit, it’s been great for him. I don’t know, we’ll see.
"I’m not being funny about this, but it’s not my issue now, it’s somebody else’s issue to look at it, whether he can come back and play in the team.
"If it was me I’d be saying, ‘We’ll take him back in pre-season, we’ll have a look in pre-season games, hopefully the half-season at Lincoln will have done him good and he’ll come back a better player for it.”