Boss Mick McCarthy could name an unchanged side for this evening's crucial home game against third-placed Derby County. Anthony Wordsworth seems set to keep his place in central midfield with Cole Skuse still sidelined as the Blues look to continue their play-off push.

The Town boss played down concerns regarding the former Colchester man’s match fitness at yesterday’s press conference, saying that if the 25-year-old “runs out of gas, I’ll have some subs on the bench” to replace him.

Luke Hyam will continue alongside Wordsworth, while Paul Anderson and Stephen Hunt are again likely to be in the wide roles with Jonny Williams just behind main striker Daryl Murphy.

McCarthy is unlikely to make any changes to his backline with skipper Luke Chambers at right-back, Aaron Cresswell on the left and Tommy Smith and Christophe Berra in the centre ahead of keeper Dean Gerken.

New loan signing Alex Henshall could be amongst the subs as may striker Paul Taylor, who was left out of the 18 at Brighton.

Earlier in the season at the iPro Stadium Derby came from 4-1 down at half-time to draw 4-4 with the Blues, a result and performance which proved pivotal for the Rams, who had struggled in the early stages of the campaign.

Steve McClaren had just been appointed Nigel Clough’s successor and was due to watch the game from the stands but came down at half-time for an unscheduled team-talk.

Looking back, McCarthy says the evening was a bit of a one-off: “It still seems crazy. The manager came in and it’s turned their season and ironically enough it changed Sheffield United’s season as well as they were in relegation form and Nigel Clough’s gone there and they could get in the play-offs and they’re in the semi-final of the FA Cup.

“At Derby, Steve McClaren came in and their season turned from that draw. It was bonkers, we could have been seven up in that first half and yet we could have lost it in the second.

“It really was just about how quickly they got the goal after the break. It took a deflection off Cole Skuse and Craig Bryson, who has scored all the goals this season, makes it 4-2 and you could smell it.

“Whatever we tried, it wasn’t working, it was almost like somebody pulled the power out of our lads.

“It was disappointing to concede those three second-half goals, of course it was, but you have to give them a bit of credit as well, they changed it and, as has been proven now, they’ve become a top side.”

Despite having been disappointing at the time, McCarthy says he’ll not lament dropping those two points more than others even if the Blues, who go into tonight's match ninth, five points from sixth, fall a point or two short of the play-offs come May.

“No, I equally could look back at Birmingham away game and the deflection, I thought we overran them, to be honest,” he said. “I tend not to do that anyway as you can’t do anything about it.

“All you can do is beat yourself up about it and get bitter and twisted - ‘what if?’. You know what they say, if my auntie had them, she’d be my uncle.

“And that’s how I look at life, there’s nothing you can do about it and if you look back and you’ve got regrets about everything you end up becoming bitter and twisted and you can never move forward. I don’t do that and I don’t do that with teams.”

The Town boss says it’s no surprise to him that McClaren has done well since taking over: “Not really, he’s a good manager. He went out to Holland and won the league there and won the League Cup with Middlesbrough and had a great time there.

“The problem is with this job is that you get a high profile one and it just doesn’t work out for whatever reason, like the England job, and suddenly he’s tarred with all these nasty names when he’s got a good reputation as a coach and as a manager.

“I don’t think Nigel was doing that badly with them. I thought they were only a fraction away from being a good team anyway.

“Maybe somebody comes in and sees something slightly different, makes a few tweaks and they get on a good run, and that’s what they’ve done.”

The Rams’ visit is the start of an important few days for the Blues with seventh-placed Nottingham Forest at Portman Road on Saturday.

“They’re big games for us,” McCarthy added. “Who knows, we could be right on the back of those play-off spots or we could be out of it. Let’s hope it’s the first one.”

Derby strikers Jamie Ward (hamstring) and Simon Dawkins (groin) have been ruled out of tonight’s game, while veteran midfielder John Eustace is suspended.

Highly-rated youngster Will Hughes could be available again after missing the Forest game with a groin injury, on-loan West Brom man George Thorne having made his debut in his absence in Saturday's 5-0 home thumping of local rivals Forest.

Historically, Town have had the better of Derby, winning 32 games (30 in the league), drawing 20 (18) and losing 24 (23).

Saturday’s 5-0 victory over Forest is the Rams’ only win in their last five games and the only one of those matches in which they’ve scored. Away from home they’ve won only one of their last six.

In October, in that remarkable 4-4 draw at the iPro Stadium, Daryl Murphy scored twice and Christophe Berra and Aaron Cresswell once each before the break with the home side having pulled one back through Zak Whitbread.

The second half was almost constant Rams pressure and they eventually grabbed a point with skipper Craig Bryson scoring twice and Jamie Ward once.

Last time at Portman Road, in October 2012, Paul Jewell’s time as Town manager was brought to an end the day after the Blues’ 2-1 defeat to his old club.

Town deservedly went in front after DJ Campbell claimed the second goal of his loan spell, but Theo Robinson equalised before the break and sub Nathan Tyson netted the late winner.

Blues loan midfielder Paul Green was with Derby between May 2008 and June 2012, making 140 starts and four sub appearances, scoring 13 goals.

Rams centre-half Richard Keogh was an academy schoolboy and Portman Road ballboy during his formative years, but no current member of Derby squad has previously represented the Blues.

Tuesday’s referee is Fred Graham from Stanford-le-Hope in Essex, who has shown 92 yellow cards and two red in 27 games so far this season. His most recent Town match was the 3-1 home victory over Blackburn in December in which he booked Christophe Berra and Frank Nouble and three opposition players.

Squad from: Gerken, Loach, Chambers, Richardson, Cresswell, Mings, Berra, Smith, Wordsworth, Hyam, Green, Bishop, Anderson, Hunt, Tabb, Edwards, Henshall, Williams, Murphy, Nouble, Ebanks-Blake, Taylor.

Photo: Action Images

JohnB13 added 18:35 - Mar 25 That Brighton result probably represented Town's best performance of the season. Why would we be changing a winning team - to facilitate Taylor? Come on!
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Keaneish added 18:40 - Mar 25 But Muccleton, would you have said the same thing if lingard had buried that 1-on-1 in the first 12 minutes and Brighton had any cutting edge in their attack on the back of a 3-1 defeat against Wigan? It was arguably our best result of the season but far and away from our best performance. I guess we'll see in the next hour when the team sheet is released which way the rest of our season will go.

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warktheline added 18:46 - Mar 25 Junior blue don't worry about people hitting the minus button pal, ask your questions and give your opinions....that what we are all on here for.COYB
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JoeyB_732 added 19:06 - Mar 25 re. Keaneish I admit stifle was the wrong word. I meant that from a defensive perspective 5 midfielders would allow us to condense the space to cut off the support for their striker, ideally making them 'toothless' considering thats how they seem to play. (based in their performance against forest which living in Nottingham i thought was rather funny). I didnt mean for us to sit back, wait and hope to nick something on a counter, but more of a way of stopping them outright so we can play our game. I think 451 in any form is a very pragmatic way of doing this.

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Pip50 added 19:09 - Mar 25 Despite the pants football we play our last five game record is better than Derby having stolen 9 points against Derby 5!!
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ITFCRealist added 19:11 - Mar 25 Taylor not even on the bench. Appalling from our Dinosaur long ball chump of a manager. So sick and tired of his favouritism and petty grudges. Sorry, but its time for someone new.
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muccletonjoe added 19:18 - Mar 25 We have missed several sitters this season along with every other side keanish. The fact is brighton didn't score and I very much think we got better as the game went on.
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