Town should have defensive duo Tommy Smith and Gareth McAuley available for selection for Saturday’s live Sky game against Sheffield Wednesday (KO 5.20pm). The return of Smith and McAuley gives manager Roy Keane a selection dilemma with Alex Bruce and Damien Delaney impressing at centre-half in recent weeks.

Smith is involved in this afternoon’s reserve game at Luton after recovering from his hand injury, while McAuley is over the thigh problem which kept him out of Northern Ireland’s friendly with Serbia at the weekend.

Keane told the club site: "Hopefully Gareth should be available for Saturday and we will see how Tommy is, but he should be OK.

"The squad is getting stronger with the only two missing being David Norris and Luciano Civelli, who are both doing well."

Norris is set to return before Christmas, while Civelli is likely to be back in the new year. Both midfielders have been out with knee ligament injuries, Norris since the opening day of the season and Civelli since March.

Meanwhile, former Blue Jai Reason is set to make his England C (Conference level national side) debut this evening in a friendly against Poland in Grodzisk Wielkopolski. Reason joined Cambridge United from Town in the summer on a free transfer after a loan spell last season.

Photo: Action Images

UEFA81 added 16:53 - Nov 17 fizzy - thanks for the compliments :-) Come the end of this season, one way or the other, one faction of the Keane debate is going to end up with some serious egg on thier faces. And do you know what, I sincerely hope it's me and my fellow "anti-keanites" - NOTHING would make me happier to be proved wrong and witness Town be succesful again (we've all waited long enough). As long as the eggs fly 'sunny side up' then I'll happily take a truck load.

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UEFA81 added 17:05 - Nov 17 rockstar - Keane loves dogs apparently so I would never say something as evil as he kills little puppies. Shame on you. In fact, for me, his love for dogs is the only redeeming feature he has. Extended run to 10, 15 games - yes, would still want Keane out. Didn't I tell you I was a life member of the Alf-Inge Haaland Sympathy Society?
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rockstar1981 added 17:17 - Nov 17 UEFA81 you are a loser who really needs to get over this obsession with getting Keane out and concentrate your energy on getting behind the team (if you are indeed a true fan)
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slowerball added 19:56 - Nov 17 Tommy Smith shouldn't be too unfit given that it was a hand injury, McAuley's thigh issue - he wouldn't be risked if he couldn't play. It's not an injury that you can play on, if you will. For me its a no brainer - McAuley & Delaney. Bruce has done okay - that's all. He is an ordinary player and should rightfully take his place on the bench. As a squad player, I can just about tolerate him - when he got the armband, I thought I was having one of those ITFC nightmares again, except for this time it was for real. What was RK thinking about? Perhaps he owed a favour to Steve Bruce. (Just in case one of those COYB clowns reads this and thinks that I don't want us to win and urges me to "get behind the team"... make no mistake, I'm 100% behind this team and the squad and the manager, despite there being some poor players like Lee Martin in it and ordinary, steady at best merchants like Bruce)...

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Dubzy_69 added 20:25 - Nov 17 Leave the backline alone keano!finally starting to look ok!and roll on the return of the mighty norris!!
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