Town manager Paul Lambert expects the Blues to talk to right-back Josh Emmanuel regarding his contract situation with the 21-year-old’s current terms up at the end of the season.
Academy product Emmanuel has started two games for Lambert, having returned from a loan spell with Shrewsbury in January, and, like young left-back Myles Kenlock, has impressed his boss.
Town recently took up a one-year option on Kenlock’s contract and it seems likely the Blues will do the same with Emmanuel, whose deal includes the same provision.
"Those two have done great,” Lambert said. "Kenlock’s been brilliant for us. Josh has been great. In the two games the kid’s been in I think he’s done really, really well. I think the club will obviously talk to him, I’m pretty sure they will.”
Regarding Saturday’s own goal at Bolton, Lambert added: "He couldn’t do anything about that, but I thought he had a really good game. Again, the only problem we’ve got with Josh is playing Saturday and then in midweek because he’s not played many games so we have to watch the lad.
"The two games I’ve seen him in, he’s been excellent. The two full-backs are really young and it augurs well for the future, it really does.”
Having won their first game in 13 on Saturday, it might be expected that the squad’s mood would have perked up, but Lambert says it’s never been particularly downcast despite the difficult season.
"They’ve been great,” he continued. "Even in training, it’s never once felt flat or anything like that. Even when we were getting draws or losing games, we’ve always come in and they’ve always been upbeat, it’s never been down.
"I think that’s important and I think they should get a lot of credit for it, they’ve come in and picked up again and went again.”
Even so, he says there was a bit more of a bounce on the coach journey back on Saturday. "Winning does that, it’s a normal feeling. When you win everybody’s happy, when you lose nobody’s happy.
"But the lads have deserved it. For me it was well overdue because we’d been playing ever so well without getting the rewards.
"That was the frustrating thing because we’ve been playing really well without coming away with three points.”
Meanwhile, Lambert played down the likelihood of Kayden Jackson being used in a wide role in the front three more regularly, the former Accrington man having been brought on in that role as a sub late on at the University of Bolton Stadium on Saturday.
"I don’t know,” he reflected. "It’s difficult for a centre-forward to go out and play wide. It’s not an ideal scenario for them because it’s new to them because you’ve got to know what to do when you don’t have the ball, let alone with it.
"So, I think it would be unfair on Kayden. OK we did it to patch up on Saturday but it’s unfair putting that onus on him.”