Town manager Joe Royle will be taking on one of his best friends in football when the Blues meet Brighton and Hove Albion at the Withdean Stadium on Tuesday night (7.45pm). Royle has been impressed with the job that Steve Coppell has done at Brighton since he took over but will be seeking to put an end to their recovery.
Royle and Coppell went to the same Liverpool schools and the Town manager says Coppell has done a good job since moving to Sussex: "There's been a big turn around at Brighton since Stevie's gone there, but wherever he's gone he's done a great job.
"They've tightened up and they almost beat Wolves a few weeks ago and they were very close to winning at home on Saturday.
"It's not an easy game, it's certainly not as easy a game as it might have been a month ago. But we've got more points away from home than at home. That might be to do with how we play.
"It's hard to say after the week we've had in terms of results, but I think we're making progress.”
"I think the product is good and the first half Saturday was probably as well as we've played since I've been here, we were excellent and we were a little bit unfortunate to find ourselves 2-1 behind.
"We've got to keep believing and I've spoken to the players and said that; the only thing wrong about Saturday was the result. On another day we could have won the game comfortably. Going into the soccer clichés, I think we'll play worse than that and win.”
On the injury front John McGreal looked to be struggling and appeared certain to miss out at Brighton but he trained on Monday and will have a fitness test before the game. After Saturday's game his back was stiff, perhaps a result of him going straight into the team after his recent injury problems.
Mark Venus landed heavily on his knee during the first half against Rotherham and was almost replaced at the break but is only likely to miss one game. Tommy Miller is out again due to tendinitis. The former Hartlepool man would have been in the starting line-up on Saturday had he been fit after impressing at Anfield. Also missing is defender Chris Makin who is still not ready after his hamstring problem.
Martijn Reuser and Marcus Bent will both be involved for the reserves at Watford on Wednesday, Reuser playing the whole game and Bent 45 minutes. Royle says that Reuser will be fit enough for first team consideration after that game.
Marcus Bent's return is also being eagerly awaited by his manager who was impressed with him in training on Monday morning: "The sooner he's fit, the better.”
The injuries to Venus, Makin and McGreal leave the number of defenders fit fairly low, although Joe Royle isn't too worried about the situation: "We're getting a little short of defenders but we've got lots of players who can fill in. Matty played there against Liverpool and was outstanding, so in truth we're not that short.”
Holland started his Town career at centre-half and more recently played there against Avenir Beggen and for a period during Saturday's second half, in addition to the Liverpool game.
Another defender, Wayne Brown, could complete a free transfer to Watford this week, despite Hornets' manager Ray Lewington saying the 24-year-old's wages were too high for his club just a few days ago. Brown is not included in Tuesday's squad as talks are ongoing.
Royle has clearly been impressed with young left-back or midfielder Matt Richards who is recalled to the squad along with fellow Academy product Ian Westlake. Royle says he expects Richards to have a great future: "He's going to be a player here I'm sure and we'll keep feeding him in and feeding him out of the first team squad. He's got a great stamina level and he can play, so without going too overboard we think the kid's got a chance.”
Two of Royle's other youngsters, Darrens Bent and Ambrose, are definitely available for the Brighton game despite their call into the England U20 squad for their match with Switzerland on Thursday. They should be available for Saturday and the Town manager is set to speak to England U20s boss Les Reed on Monday afternoon to see if they can be left out of Thursday's match.
Royle says he is delighted to Darren Bent's progress at present but feels that he may need to rest him soon. Due to his good form the manager feels that he has played more games than is physically good for him and that a rest will do him good, although he will be in the team at Brighton.
The Town manager says he will continue to target the play-offs are the time they are reachable: "While they are mathematically possible we won't give up. I think the quality is here to go on a run and if we could just get those two or three results together it could set us up, and who knows where confidence can take us?
"Looking at us now, with the players that we've got, I don't really fear going anywhere. We just need to put the goals away at the right end and defend for 90 minutes and not 88.”
There have been no new developments regarding loan strikers, although Royle is still looking. He says it is not easy finding the right player: "We're looking for someone who is different or better than what we have, they've got to be out of someone else's first team and not on dillions a week. It's not an easy equation to satisfy. But there are people we are still talking to.”
Royle says he will continue using the 3-5-2 formation he has employed lately as he feels it suits the personnel currently at the club and has helped keep the goals conceded to a minimum: "You look at our goals against column and it's one of the better ones in the league. It's the F column that's not great. Even on Saturday I think we had more shots than some sides have had all season.
"A little bit of Lady Luck wouldn't go amiss. I'm not saying that ‘oh, we're unlucky', it's not quite that simple, but if you look at their ratio of shots to goals on Saturday and then you look at ours, you do need a little luck at times.”
Squad: Abidallah, Ambrose, Armstrong, Clapham, Couñago, Bent, Gaardsøe, Gerrard, Holland, Hreidarsson, Magilton, Marshall, McGreal, Naylor, Richards, Westlake, Wilnis and Wright.