Hyam and Ebanks-Blake in Squad Facing Blackpool Friday, 14th Feb 2014 14:54 Midfielder Luke Hyam and striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake are back in the Town squad for Saturday’s home game against Blackpool. Hyam has been out of action since suffering a gashed leg at Millwall a month ago, while Ebanks-Blake injured a hamstring in the FA Cup third round tie against Preston at Portman Road, his only appearance for the Blues so far. Assistant manager Terry Connor took the regular pre-match press conference and revealed that the duo are available for selection: “They’re in the squad for Saturday’s game. “They’ve had a good week training with the rest of the group and came through it fine. Each day they’ve got better and better so the gaffer’s included them for tomorrow. “With Luke’s knee having been cut as badly as it was it’s been rest and recuperation for him, more or less. “For Sylvan, it’s been trying to get over the hamstring injury he picked up in the early part of January and he’s fully over that now. He’s probably trained for the best part of 10 days and has built up really well this week. The gaffer’s delighted to have them both back.” Striker Paul Taylor is also OK, having missed last week’s 2-2 draw at Barnsley with an abscess: “Everyone’s had toothache in their time and it’s not the best thing to have,” Connor added. “He’s back, he came back in on Monday and trained for the rest of the week with antibiotics. He’s fit and up for selection as well.” Boss Mick McCarthy is likely to stick with keeper Dean Gerken in goal, Aaron Cresswell at left-back and centre-halves Tommy Smith and Christophe Berra. The Blues manager may be considering switching Luke Chambers for recent loan signing Frazer Richardson, but the Town vice-captain will probably keep his place against the Seasiders. McCarthy could move to a four-man midfield, the Blues having played their best football at Oakwell having switched from the 4-3-3 system in which they started. Cole Skuse is likely to take up his usual central role but with Hyam, Jay Tabb and new signing Paul Green all vying for the other role. Stephen Hunt will probably be on the left with Paul Anderson, who impressed from the bench against the Tykes, on the right. Up front, top scorer David McGoldrick is again set to be partnered by Daryl Murphy. Ebanks-Blake could make his Town league debut from the bench at some stage. Despite Blackpool’s current plummet down the table - they haven’t won in 14 games in all competitions, a run stretching back to November 30th and away from home they have lost their last eight - Connor says they have a decent squad. “They’ve got some very good players,” he said. “They’ve got Barry Ferguson charge now and he’ll be bringing in fresh ideas and a different outlook to before. “We’ll have to be on our mettle and in all Championship games you have to go out there and expect, in a football sense, a battle. Once you’ve won that you can maybe play some football, and Blackpool will be no different.” Ricardo Fuller (hamstring) and Neal Bishop (knee) are back in the Seasiders’ squad after knocks but are unlikely to start. Tom Barkhuizen (shoulder) and Bobby Grant (foot) remain on the sidelines. Interim player-manager Barry Ferguson, who is yet to select himself since taking over following Paul Ince’s departure, says he has no plans to sit back and grind out a draw. “We are going there to get three points, it’s simple,” he told the Blackpool Gazette. “What I am going to do, whether we are home or away, I’m going to try and win the game. “I made a decision even before I got this job that that’s how I want to play. I’d rather my side go and have a go at the opposition. “If we go to win the game and lose, at least I can look myself in the mirror and say at least we had a go.” Historically, Town have won 10 games between the sides (nine in the league), eight have been drawn (eight) and Blackpool have won five (four). Blackpool are currently 16th in the Championship on 34 points, 10 fewer than eighth-placed Town. In November, a few weeks prior to the start of the Tangerines' current winless streak, Daryl Murphy headed home an injury time winner as Town came from behind to pick up their first away victory of the season at Blackpool, who at that stage were fourth. The home side were very much on top before the break and were ahead via Stephen Dobbie. But in the second half, a much-changed Town got on terms and went ahead through subs Frank Nouble and Paul Taylor before late drama when the Seasiders equalised through one-time Blues target Steve Davies prior to Murphy’s winner. The teams last met at Portman Road in February last year when Michael Chopra, now a Seasider, came off the bench to net the only goal of the game shortly after the break to see the Blues to an important 1-0 victory. The striker was sent through by Guirane N’Daw in the 50th minute and confidently took his chance. Aside from Chopra, who has made six starts and 14 sub appearances without scoring since joining the Tangerines from the Blues on a free transfer last summer, Ricardo Fuller represented Town during a loan spell. Fuller, who also joined Blackpool in the summer, scored two goals in three games while on loan with the Blues from Southampton at the end of the 2005/06 season, also picking up a red card while at Portman Road. Then-boss Joe Royle wanted to sign him on a permanent basis but the £500,000 fee was beyond Town’s means and the Jamaican joined Stoke City. Interim player-manager Ferguson was close to joining the Town youth set-up as a 14-year-old schoolboy back in John Lyall’s time as Blues boss. Having spent a week on trial with Town and been offered terms, he instead he opted to join Rangers. Striker Andy Keogh, who recently joined on loan from Millwall, also had trials with Town as a youngster, while the Seasiders' veteran keeper and goalkeeping-coach Tony Warner had a trial with the Blues and featured in a friendly in October 1998. Winger Stephen Hunt and recently signed loan defender Frazer Richardson were both close to signing for the Tangerines prior to joining the Blues before deals broke down. The Portman Road pitch has been covered and the recent heavy rain will have no impact on whether the game takes place. Prior to kick-off there will be a minute's applause for Preston and England legend Sir Tom Finney, who died yesterday aged 91. Saturday’s referee is Mark Haywood from West Yorkshire, who has shown 57 yellow cards and five red in 24 matches this season. Haywood’s most recent Town game was the 1-1 home draw with Bristol City in December 2012 in which he kept his cards in his pocket throughout. Squad from: Gerken, Loach, Chambers, Richardson, Cresswell, Mings, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Hyam, Green, Tabb, Wordsworth, Hunt, Anderson, Edwards, McGoldrick, Murphy, Nouble, Taylor, Ebanks-Blake.
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