On-loan Blues right-back Josh Emmanuel’s Rotherham United face prospective new Town manager Paul Hurst’s Shrewsbury in this afternoon’s League One play-off final at Wembley (Sky Sports Football, 2.30pm).
Emmanuel has enjoyed an impressive campaign with the Millers and carried off their Young Player of the Season award.
While the 20-year-old’s main focus will be helping his loan side to return to the Championship at the first attempt, the Londoner may also have one eye on making an impression on Shrews boss Hurst, who is expected to be his manager by the time he returns to Suffolk for the start of pre-season at the end of June.
Town will hold formal talks with the 43-year-old and his club in the week ahead having kept their distance during the Shropshire side’s play-off endeavours.
However, it’s long been understood that they have been given a strong indication that negotiations will progress positively whatever the outcome of Sunday's final and barring a late hitch Hurst seems set to be named Town manager later this week.
Those talks with Blues owner Marcus Evans seem unlikely to take place face to face with Hurst, who is understood to be on a rolling contract at Shrewsbury, flying to Dubai for a delayed family holiday on Monday.
"I think I might struggle to get on the plane if it goes well!” the former Ilkeston, Boston and Grimsby boss told the Shropshire Star.
"I know some managers have not had a holiday before, but I think it’s needed. Every experienced manager I’ve spoke with said you 100 per cent go on holiday.
"I’m certainly going to take that advice. You need it. It’ll be just over a four-week turnaround [before pre-season] for us. It’s no time at all.
"It’s my decision but I’ve sacrificed quite a lot of family time over the course of season and since joining.
"But I’ve changed the holiday once, I genuinely didn’t think we’d be involved in the play-offs. I think I should’ve been going on holiday on Wednesday. It’s the same holiday but it’s cost me more money! Of course, I’d take it.”
Once he returns from to the UK Hurst will continue an LMA Football Diploma course prior to the start of pre-season, whether that’s at Montgomery Waters Meadow or, as seems likely, Portman Road.
Hurst wants his team, who finished third in League One, to write themselves into Shrewsbury folklore this afternoon by winning promotion into Championship, a level at which they last played in 1988/89.
"It would be great for that team,” he added. "If we were successful I’m sure you’d see pictures that would be in place here for many, many years.
"If I’m still here and came back and visited in 20 years' time, I’d like to think the chances are you’d see memories from that day. There may be some from [the play-off semi-final victory over] Charlton, I don’t know.
"There may be some from the Checkatrade [Trophy, in which they lost to Lincoln in the final at Wembley], but that won’t sit as proudly compared to winning promotion.”
Hurst remains the odds-on favourite to take over at Town at 2-1 odds-on with Bet Victor, while Tim Sherwood, who was among those interviewed by Evans, is now the second favourite at 9-4 but having slipped from 6-4 yesterday.
Chris Coleman is at 12-1 and Mark Warburton, Frank Lampard and Tony Mowbray 16-1, while Scott Parker is at 25-1 along with Simon Grayson, George Burley, Graham Potter, John McGreal, Paul Cook, Shefki Kuqi and Alan Pardew. Of those, only Lampard and Parker are believed to have been among those interviewed.
Elsewhere, Hurst was yesterday reported to be in Barnsley’s thoughts as they look for a new manager having sacked Jose Morais following their relegation to League One.
However, former Peterborough boss Grant McCann is the 2-1 odds-on favourite to take over at Oakwell with Hurst seventh in the betting at 20-1.