Assistant boss Terry Connor believes there's plenty more to come from striker Frank Nouble, who he says has improved his all-round game during his year with the Blues. The 22-year-old was signed from Wolves for a bargain £25,000 in January 2013, Connor having taken him to Molineux during his brief spell as boss.

Nouble is one of a number of frontmen manager Mick McCarthy and Connor could turn to during 16-goal top scorer David McGoldrick’s 10-week absence with a torn knee ligament.

“Frank’s definitely improved,” Connor said, speaking prior to McGoldrick suffering his injury. “He’s improved his all-round game I think when the lads like you it shows you’re doing something in the group.

“We just want Frank to continue the way that he’s going, learning about himself, learning about the game of football and being an effective player when he plays.”

The Blues assistant believes Nouble, who has scored five goals in 19 starts and 28 sub appearances for Town and signed a contract until 2015 earlier in the season, didn’t get the best grounding in the game as a young player.

Having been with Chelsea's academy, the Londoner moved on to West Ham, who sent him on short loan spells at West Brom, Swindon, Barnsley (twice), Swansea, Charlton and Gillingham prior to his permanent move to Wolves in the summer of 2012.

“I think there’s a lot of potential still to come," Connor added. "I think probably in the early part of his career perhaps Frank wasn’t coached effectively.

“I think people saw a big, strong boy and he needs to understand how to play centre forward, how to play in a forward position. And I think he’s understanding that a little bit better now as he gets older.”

In addition to Nouble and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who played 63 minutes for the U21s as they were defeated 2-0 by Charlton last night, another of the strikers who could get his chance in the weeks to come is Paul Taylor, who has enjoyed only fleeting appearances in the first team since returning from almost a year out with a foot injury.

“We want him out on the training pitch, training consistently well and contributing in games,” Connor said of the £1.5 million signing from Peterborough.

“There’s a pool of strikers there now and in many respects it’s every man for himself. If you want to play, you’ve got to do more than the other four.

“And, if you do that on a consistent basis, the way the gaffer works, he’ll put them in the team.

“One week you’ll be missing one, like Paul Taylor was missing through his tooth, or there’ll be an injury to Sylvan or one or two of the other players. We’ve got a pool of them and it’s up to us to use the wisely and get the best of them.”

The Town assistant boss says the lack of goals from midfield this season - six in total - hasn’t been a particular worry while the strikers and defenders have been netting more than their fair share.

“As long as you’re winning games, it’s a concern but not a great one," the 51-year-old former striker continued.

“If there were no goals going in [from elsewhere] and there were no goals coming from that central area we’d be looking at that as even more of a worry, but the team has got its identity and David McGoldrick and Daryl Murphy have carried the brunt of the attacking play and we’ve had defenders who have chipped in with goals as well.

“As long as we’re winning games and we’re producing performances which are good, the midfield players are making their contribution as well.”

Photo: Action Images

muccletonjoe added 10:11 - Feb 18 We should be 'coaching' jack marriott , it really makes me laugh when connor comes out with , frank wasn't coached properly as a youngster , when we are sending ours to non league teams and expect them to come back as championship players. I have said it many times - the whole thing is plainly wrong
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jpring89 added 10:37 - Feb 18 edit : Connor : Plenty more Crap to come from Frank. He may be a nice guy and a lovely bloke but surely the team comes first and he just is not good enough. Marriott should be priority.
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yorksblue added 10:53 - Feb 18 Connor: Plenty More to Come From Frank Try putting the right boots on the right feet, then learning to head a ball. That'd be a start.
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yorksblue added 10:54 - Feb 18 Now watch him get the winner v Leicester
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brendenward35 added 10:58 - Feb 18 I'm a bit puzzled why is Mick playing him when TC clearly says his not the finished article? Marriot from what I've seen is a far better player than Frank and has been correctly trained and is fit & ready to play. Something is clearly not right here the next few weeks will tell us all exactly what's going on at the club. Think some of the stories of how well everyone is gelling is not really 100% true time will tell

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blueherts added 10:59 - Feb 18 It says more about the Chelsea and West Ham coaching/academies ?!! ( Carlton Cole did the same route ) As my Hammer mate said when we signed Frank - He is a 'poor mans Carlton Cole ' Whilst for £25k we cant moan - he is not the answer for DM . I think the two best bits of play I have seen from him were two amazing first time crosses one which led to a goal and the other should have been put away Please do not think Frank and Taylor are the answer But as has been said - we are not good enough for the play offs - finish top 10 build for next year and BRING BACK MARRIOTT - That would give the crowds and fans a better feel for us supporting our young talent - what have we got to lose !

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DurhamTownFan added 11:11 - Feb 18 Anyone remember Naylor? Nobody really thought he had what it takes, but who was play off hero in 2000..?
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Kesgraveblue57 added 11:21 - Feb 18 Great post Gingerblues
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bluemikey100 added 11:33 - Feb 18 plenty more goals in his locker unfortunately the key has been lost
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TimmyH added 11:38 - Feb 18 Nice bloke or not it doesn't really come into it how he plays on the pitch, hope this is not a green light for Mick to start him on an even more regular basis. By the way I haven't had proper golf lessons but if I do will that make me a low handicap golfer?...probably not.
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Garv added 11:40 - Feb 18 I do admire the faith shown in Frank and the willingness to try and improve a quite clearly limited footballer. But I'm sorry, having him in the team ahead of Paul Taylor is just laughable and frankly disrespectful to paying fans.
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rexron added 11:47 - Feb 18 Nouble will only get better! Will score more goals when he gets a run in the team.
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TractorBoy666 added 11:55 - Feb 18 Gingerblues - I like the sound of all that!! Just I cant see Mick being up for signing a pacey winger, very unlikely as he only signs defensive wingers!
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Portman51 added 11:59 - Feb 18 I'll have some of what you're smoking please Terry!
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Walk_the_Wark added 12:35 - Feb 18 Too laughable to comment!!
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JimmyP45 added 12:47 - Feb 18 £25,000 lost in my opinion
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TrabzonBlue added 14:02 - Feb 18 FB has all the physical attributes to be an absolute beast of a forward, but he doesn't have the awareness or intelligence on the pitch to use those attributes to effect.
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TrabzonBlue added 14:02 - Feb 18 I meant FN (got confused with Frank Bruno for some reason)
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Ipswich_Loyal added 14:09 - Feb 18 He's only 22, how old was Shefki Kuqi when he really started becoming a force for us? If I remember rightly, he didn't do a great deal in club football before he came to us at the peak of his career. They are a similar style of player, a real hustle and bustle forward, hassling defenders. Shefki had a horrible first touch and wasn't that consistant with the ball at his feet, but how many Town fans would have Shefki from the Joe Royle days in our team now? I think the the majority would! My point is, he's only 22,. Give the lad a chance.

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Cheshire_Blue added 15:03 - Feb 18 I wouldn't call the handful of people who comment on here "a large proportion of Town's fanbase" As the saying goes,"empty vessels make the most noise"!
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battyblue added 15:08 - Feb 18 In my eyes he has had a run in the team and failed miserably now give Taylor a run but if that happens and he makes a few runs at defenders he will be punished for not being defensive and be replaced with Nouble
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Lightningboy added 15:13 - Feb 18 We should be using these remaining games this season to give the likes of Marriott,Wordsworth and some of the other kids their chance & to get some valuable experience at this level..otherwise when else are they going to get it? Mick needs to start taking the odd gamble..we've got what 14 or 15 games to go & making the play-offs was looking difficult even with McGoldrick..now he should be thinking "sod it,we've nothing to lose now, let the lads off the leash and have a final crack at the play-offs" instead of all this bore draw drivel. On a separate note (and I know he plays up the road)..but what has happened to Luciano Becchio?..always liked him when he was at Leeds - he's the type of player to get the fans excited..shame we can't bring him here for the rest of this season?

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ipswichjon added 15:23 - Feb 18 We currently play a rigid style of football where our success comes from our limited players sticking to a set game plan positionally. If you watch any one player, rather than the game, for 5 minutes you'll see them take up virtually the same positions on the pitch, especially defensively. This works for us as we have a limited squad and limited players, we are very much more a suk of our parts. Nouble does his job within the team and we therefore have better results. Paul Taylor is an off the cuff player, technically skilled but I've watched him several times and he is very poor positionally without the ball, he doesn't track his man. Personally I'd love to see Town play with a position for Taylor, but McCarthy isn't going to do that, he values results and team ethic over fancy-dan pieces of individual skill. Taylor is very much a Jewell player, like Bullard, technically exciting but we all remember Jewell's tactics (ie there were none, just stick your 11 best players as opposed to your best team on the field) and where they got us. I believe next season MM will bring in a couple of wingers and maybe a deep lying playmaker and this will allow us to kick on within the rigid 442/433 system he prefers.

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brittaniaman added 15:33 - Feb 18 I saw Nouble and all the fans who were there have one very good game last season against Palace when he Hassled Speroni so much in to making mistakes and Nouble scored from them !!!!! Unfortunately he has not played like it since ???? whether he has had a bad summer who knows ?? Palace did get promoted by the way as we all know !!!
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Marcus_Evans added 15:35 - Feb 18 10 clubs and only 22 and 4 goals in 47 appearances. We have to do better if we are to progress. Send Frank to a League 2 club next season to play every week and then give him a run in the team if he succeeds. Simply not good enough yet and we can't afford to have him 'develop' in our first team at the moment
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