Town manager Paul Lambert has praised midfielder Andre Dozzell for his recent performances and says veteran Cole Skuse, among the first names on the teamsheet since he signed back in 2013, won’t be able to go on forever.
Dozzell impressed in the FA Cup first-round replay win at Lincoln and then in initial the second round tie at Coventry with Lambert and his staff subsequently sticking with that team - barring the injured Danny Rowe - for the more important League One fixture against the Sky Blues at St Andrew’s the following week.
The 20-year-old was among Town’s key performers in an excellent first-half display which should have yielded more than a single goal, with Coventry equalising in a second period having got on top after the break.
"He’s doing really well,” Lambert said when asked about the England U20 international. "He’s always been a really talented footballer, Dozzell, he really has.
"He’s only a young lad, I think he and Downes play exceptionally well together and I think the partnership for England is helping as well. They’ve got great balance because one’s a lefty and one’s a righty.
"And Cole can’t go on forever, Cole’s been unbelievable for us, an incredible footballer, and as I’ve said before, the only thing with Cole is I wish I had him six or seven years earlier.
"If anything happens to Cole then Andre or Emyr [Huws] have to be ready to come in, and Andre’s come in and done really, really well, he’s a really good player.”
Are we starting to see the younger players taking over from the older generation? "It’s impossible for someone in their thirties, listen, I’ve been 33 and 34 myself and in my own head I thought I could go all day, but I couldn’t, it was impossible. I couldn’t hit the standard I was hitting when I was 26 or 27.
"You need somebody to come in or you have to go and buy somebody who is going to replace Cole Skuse in later life, it’s difficult.
"Andre, the way he’s playing in this moment is a really, really high level and if anything happened to Cole, whether he’s injured or left out, he needs somebody to step into his shoes. You can’t rely on one guy to always hold the fort.”