Luke Hyam and Cole Skuse missed training today but assistant caretaker-manager Chris Hogg expects both midfielders to be fit to travel to Reading tomorrow ahead of Saturday’s game at the Madejski Stadium. Grant Ward will miss out as he serves the first game of his three-match ban for last week's sending off.
"We’ve a few boys who are just carrying a few things but everyone’s pretty well,” Hogg said. "Luke Hyam hasn’t trained today but hopefully he’ll be fine tomorrow.
"Cole Skuse has had a little bit of illness but he’ll as good as gold for tomorrow to travel. We’re looking OK, we’re looking pretty much as well as we can be.”
Town remain without keeper Dean Gerken (hip), full-back Dominic Iorfa (groin), skipper Luke Chambers (dislocated shoulder, fractured rib and sternum) and fellow central defender Adam Webster (hamstring), midfielders Emyr Huws and Andre Dozzell (both knee), and Tom Adeyemi and Teddy Bishop (both hamstring), and strikers David McGoldrick (groin) and Joe Garner (head, knee and shoulder).
Hogg admits the last-gasp 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest and then the 4-0 home hammering by Aston Villa following Ward's red card have been a baptism of fire.
"It certainly has but that’s football,” he reflected. "It’s how games go sometimes. We’ve been relatively happy with the performances, in the Forest game especially up until the 88th minute and the boys have given us everything they have in that game.
"Same with Villa, the plan was OK, a few adjustments were needed but in football incidents happen and the game was difficult then.
"One thing I’ve got to say is that it wasn’t through a lack of effort from the players or application and their attitude and their effort, as it has been all season, has been bang on.
"Again, you’re looking for a reaction this week coming into training and again they’ve had their heads down working as hard as they can, taking on information and trying to be as positive as they can be.
"I can’t give them praise enough, we need to get some points in the next two games, just for them to finish the season off really well.”