Hunt Set to Start Against Bolton
Friday, 31st Jan 2014 17:43

Winger Stephen Hunt is set to return to the Town starting line-up for Saturday's home game against Bolton Wanderers having been left out of the team which drew 1-1 at Leeds. Manager Mick McCarthy is forced into one change with loanee Ryan Tunnicliffe recalled by Manchester United in order to be sold to Fulham.

Having been man of the match as the Blues beat Reading 2-0 at Portman Road last week, McCarthy rested Hunt at Elland Road feeling that the 32-year-old wouldn’t be up to playing two games in such quick succession given his lack of match fitness. The victory over the Royals was only the Irishman’s third start since April.

But the Town manager says the Irish international be OK to face the struggling Trotters: “Hunty’s fine, we’ve wound him back up, we’ve recharged his battery, we’ve tightened the elastic band.”

McCarthy has no injury concerns other than the sidelined Luke Hyam (gashed leg) and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (hamstring): “Luke Hyam will be OK for the Barnsley game, I think, and Sylvan is out training but he’s not ready for this game. Everybody else is fine.”

The Town boss looks certain to stick with Dean Gerken in goal, but has a decision to make at right-back with Frazer Richardson having signed on loan from Middlesbrough earlier in the week.

Despite having conceded the penalty in the 1-1 draw at Leeds, Luke Chambers will probably keep his place - and wear the armband - with Richardson not having played a game since November.

The rest of the back four picks itself — barring any shock late transfer activity — with Aaron Cresswell at left-back and Christophe Berra and Tommy Smith in the centre.

In midfield, Hunt looks set to be on the left with Paul Anderson keeping his place on the right, while Jay Tabb seems likely to move into the centre alongside Cole Skuse in the absence of Hyam and Tunnicliffe.

Anthony Wordsworth is another option and has been back in training for two weeks after his bout of tonsillitis but Tabb, who has spent more of his career as a central player rather than on the left where he has tended to play for Town, would appear to be to be the more likely selection.

McCarthy is hopeful of adding another midfield player to his squad when the loan window opens in a week's time with Leeds' Paul Green understood to be his target.

Up front, 14-goal top scorer David McGoldrick is again set to be paired with Daryl Murphy, who has netted eight times this season.

McCarthy says he’s surprised that Bolton, who missed out on the play-offs last year on goal difference having initially struggled, are down in 18th this time around: “It did look like they’d got up and running.

“It’s always the same, I look at their squad of players and think ‘wow, they’ve got a really good squad’ and I know they’re trying to turn things around, trying to sign two or three on loan, and it’ll make a difference to them, of course.

“I don’t know the reason why [they're struggling], but what I would say is that that was the same last season and they put a really good run together from about now. So let’s hope it doesn’t start on Saturday.”

He says it can be difficult for clubs relegated from the top flight - as Bolton were 18 months ago - to adjust to life in the Championship: “You still have the remnants of the Premier League players on big money sometimes.

"That can be a real factor in team spirit and players can think they should be in the Premier League and they’re in the Championship. It does have an effect on the place, definitely.

“And, of course, in the first season you think ‘if we get back up we’ll be OK’ and then you don’t and it seems to spiral downwards rather than the other way.”

Defender Tim Ream will be in the Bolton side at left-back despite having suffered a facial injury in the 2-1 defeat at QPR on Tuesday.

Centre-half David Wheater and midfielder Stuart Holden are both sidelined long-term with knee injuries, while striker Jermaine Beckford is not yet back after a hamstring injury.

The Trotters have signed former Blue Liam Trotter on loan from Millwall and the Ipswich-born midfielder is expected to go straight into their squad.

Bolton have also added 20-year-old winger Yannick Bastos from Luxembourg side FC Differdange but he is viewed as a development squad player rather than a first-teamer. Striker Craig Davies has joined Preston on loan for the rest of the season.

Historically, the Blues just have the edge, having won 15 times (13 in the league), Bolton 13 (nine) and with eight (seven) games between the teams ending in draws.

The Trotters have lost their last three in all competitions — including a 7-1 defeat to Reading — and have won only one of their last eight in the league.

In October, David McGoldrick netted his first away goal for Town to see the Blues to a 1-1 draw at the Reebok Stadium.

After a first half in which Ryan Tunnicliffe should have put the Blues in front, Medo Kamara opened the scoring for the home side with a freekick in the 65th minute, McGoldrick equalising with a left-foot strike eight minutes later.

The teams last met at Portman Road in March last year when skipper Carlos Edwards netted in the 88th minute to see the Blues to a crucial 1-0 victory over Bolton at Portman Road.

Town should have been ahead in the first half, Andy Drury missing the best opportunity, while the visitors improved in the second but rarely threatened Stephen Henderson’s goal.

In addition to new signing Trotter, former Blue Arran Lee-Barrett recently extended his short-term contract with Bolton until the end of the season, but is yet to make his debut, while former Town loanee Keith Andrews is still a Trotters employee but is spending the season on loan at Brighton.

American midfielder Stuart Holden was on trial with the Blues in 2005 but is a long-term absentee with a knee injury. No current Town player has appeared for the Trotters.

Saturday’s referee is Charles Breakspear from Surrey, who has shown 66 yellow cards and six red in 16 games so far this season. Breakspear will be taking charge of his first competitive Town game, although he took control of the 3-0 pre-season victory at Colchester last summer.

Squad from: Gerken, Loach, Chambers, Richardson, Cresswell, Mings, Smith, Berra, Skuse, Wordsworth, Edwards, Anderson, Hunt, Tabb, Murphy, McGoldrick, Nouble, Taylor, Lee.

Photo: Action Images

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MickMcCarthy69 added 18:03 - Jan 31 yay
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bluemingood added 18:05 - Jan 31 YEEEEEHAAAA and Taylor somewhere please. Come on MM train Taylor for another role or two....beg.
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RoyKeanesDog added 18:12 - Jan 31 Good to hear. Was quietly underwhelmed by his arrival but am glad to see he is proving me wrong. Has a spark that we had been missing and he looks funny.
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brian_a_mul added 18:19 - Jan 31 Liam trotter would have been a great signing for us!
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Cloddyseedbed added 18:22 - Jan 31 Good, I hope Hunt is as wound up for this game as he was the last home game and I hope he winds and unsettles the opposition as much as he did the last home game too.
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bluemingood added 18:34 - Jan 31 If you think liam would even remotely consider coming back to this club that deserted him you are delusional at the very least.
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bluemingood added 18:36 - Jan 31 There is only one way to wind somebody, cloddy. The beat, the Hunter and chopper jefferson knew how to do it!
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jas0999 added 19:18 - Jan 31 I assume people realise that trotter was offered a new deal but it was he who opted to leave? Hoping fora win tomorrow and also hope to see a new signing in the squad. Surely even ME realises we need to replace Tunnicliffe today. A 93 day loan is pointless as if we did make the playoffs he loan will have expired!
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Cloddyseedbed added 20:39 - Jan 31

We could go on bluemingood. Talbot, Harper, Butcher. Back in the day we used to hunt in packs and look after are own on the pitch! Remember Frank Clarke running the length of the pitch chasing back to bring a player down from behind? Oh the good old days - will we ever see them again?? With every transfer window now I dread what we will get rid of and dread what we'll sign!

alfromcol added 22:01 - Jan 31 Good news re Hunt, hope he continues the good work tomorrow
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Warkys_Tash added 23:40 - Jan 31

Hunt has been great in his limited appearances so far, it's pleasing he will start. Shame to see Tunnicliffe go, it's a surprise as we thought he was here for the season & we will definitely miss his energy, tackling, work rate & will to win. Tabb now has to step up..

Taylor needs a run in the team, shame he doesn't start on the right, his running at opponents is just what we need at home. Bolton definitely there for the taking. COYB!

ArnieM added 23:46 - Jan 31 ....as were Leeds!
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Jimmy86 added 00:22 - Feb 1 Hoping for 3 points tommorow, realistically it will be tabb along side skuseand hunt on the left but id love to see wordsworth alongside skuse and given a run in the team. Really wanna see taylor get some minutes tommorow too, he runs at people and tries to make things happen. Coyb lets make portman road rocking
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calypso_blue added 00:42 - Feb 1 last chance salon for playoffs, next three games, three wins COYB!
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Guthrum added 02:34 - Feb 1 Last chance saloon for the play-offs? We're only four points off, with 54 still to play for!
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dannyrr added 10:09 - Feb 1 I agree that the next three games are games that are winnable and will define whether we can challenge for a top six place. With the failure to get three points against a struggling team who were obviously in turmoil like Leeds we need to take on the weaker teams and take the points. Let's take the game to Bolton and keep our place just outside the playoffs. COYB!!!
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bluebare added 10:28 - Feb 1 Why not use chambers with skuse and have a proper right back? Its good we have options
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Michael11 added 11:00 - Feb 1

I think we have to be realistic. Do we really have a good chance of play-offs with this squad? Mick's done remarkably well to get us to this position but with such a small squad, I can't see us keeping up the pace. Evans needed to invest in a couple of players in January to prove he was still serious about giving us a chance, but he's given up. Reading the 'On This Day' thread, 14 years ago we were signing Marcus Stewart for £3m. Now we don't have £3. Hopefully one day we'll see the good times again.

Scottie9 added 11:03 - Feb 1

I think Hunt started a little shaky last home game, a few touches of the ball going astray and looking down at the ball while running rather than geting his head up. Saying that, toawrds the end of the first half and the 20 minutes he played in the second half was much better. He passed well, set up the goal with brilliant pace and strength and was determined to do well. I admire his passion for the game and with a another start today - it will surely pick up his confidence. Come on Hunt, you can do well today, you've got in it you. COYBS!