Town look set to be without key midfielder Cole Skuse for at least Saturday’s trip to Stoke City after the 32-year-old suffered a knee injury in training.
Boss Paul Lambert confirmed that Skuse, upon whom he has heaped praise in recent weeks, is unlikely to be involved against the Potters at his lunchtime press conference.
"Everybody’s in good nick, but Cole has picked up the injury and we’ll have to wait and see what comes back from that. But he’s struggling for Saturday,” he said.
"He’s playing ever so well for us, he’s been brilliant for us, his range of passing has been of a really high, high standard, what I look for, so that’s a blow. But hopefully it’s not too long. He’s hurt his knee but we’ll wait and see.”
Regarding how long the Bristolian might be out for, Lambert says he'll find out more this afternoon.
"I don’t know, I’ll need to wait and see," he said. "I’ll find out later today and see what it’s going to be.”
Lambert has a number of options in midfield but not a lot of fit experienced players at present.
"We’re really young, I know that, that’s for sure, we’re really young in there, we’ve got 19-year-olds in there,” he reflected.
"We’ll have to get a bit more help, a bit more experience to give them a helping hand [in January].
"If Cole’s out then it gives somebody an opportunity to come in. But it’s a blow. I think the big thing is that we left out several lads last week and none of the lads had really played Championship football and equally so with the lads we brought in.
"That’s the strength of it but they’re young players who’ll give you something else that experience can’t give you so we have to go and get the best out of them. But one thing’s for sure, they’ll certainly give it a go and they’ll do it again on Saturday.
"I love working with them, they’ve been brilliant to work with, young and enthusiastic guys, they’ve been excellent to work with.”
He says those players, the likes of Teddy Bishop, Trevoh Chalobah, Andre Dozzell and Flynn Downes, will have to step into the breech: "There are no ifs and buts, you have to. But they’re learning their trade in a really difficult league.
"If you’re bringing an 18-year-old or a 19-year-old into the team they should be getting a little bit more help than they’re getting because we’re inexperienced all over the pitch really. So when you lose one of your most experienced ones, that’s why it’s a blow.
"There aren’t too many players [in the squad] that play like Skuse, there aren’t too many of the lads that do that, they are a lot of offensive players.
"We’ll have to look to see who can fill that role. But whoever comes in, I’ve got absolutely no worry whatsoever who plays that role.”
One option Lambert won’t be able to call on his loanee Tayo Edun, who continues to receive treatment at parent club Fulham for an eye injury, while winger Gwion Edwards is back after missing the Nottingham Forest match with a sore ankle.
"Tayo’s still struggling,” the Blues boss confirmed. "But Gwion’s back, he’s OK. The only one missing is going to be Cole.”
Long-term absentees Emyr Huws (knee) and Tom Adeyemi (achilles) remain sidelined with the latter pencilled in for a January return to action.