Fit-again David McGoldrick has confirmed, as expected, that he will not be starting Town’s opening game of the season against Fulham at Portman Road on Saturday.

His two pre-season substitute appearances, at Southend and Leyton Orient, may have confirmed his recovery from a knee injury sustained back in February but last term’s 16-goal leading marksman admits he is still short in terms of match fitness.

Instead the former Nottingham Forest striker is likely to be among Town’s seven substitutes for the live-on-Sky clash against the newly-relegated Londoners, which kicks off at 5.15pm.

He will be itching for a piece of the action but insists he will not be the one to decide when he is ready to make his first competitive start of the new campaign.

McGoldrick, whose rehabilitation included a week working with a USA-based specialist, said: “It’s not down to me, it’s down to the gaffer and the physios to decide when I’m ready. I want to be out there again straight away, but I’ve got to be correct with this knee.

“Saturday is probably a bit too soon to start, but hopefully I’ll be involved in some way in this first game — maybe come off the bench, I don’t know.

“I’ll be doing star jumps in front of the gaffer to try and get him to put me on! Hopefully he might not need me. We could be comfortable, or he might need me. You never know in football. I just hope I can get back on that Portman Road pitch soon.”

McGoldrick’s last taste of competitive first team action came in the 0-0 Portman Road stalemate with Blackpool on February 15th when he suffered a partial tear of the medial ligament in his right knee. The 26-year-old was closing in on a return towards the end of last season but required cartilage surgery which ended his campaign.

Unsurprisingly, he is keen to reclaim his place in Mick McCarthy’s team as quickly as possible and he added: “If I don’t play this weekend then maybe it will be at Crawley [in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday] or at Reading the following weekend.

“There is no date pencilled in though, we’re just taking it day by day. I’d only had one or two training sessions before the Southend game, but I’d been doing loads of running before that.

“When you’re out for five months you lose a bit of sharpness, but it’s coming back slowly. When the gaffer sees fit, I’m sure he’ll put me in there.

“It’s been good to be back training and being around the lads every day. The knee is getting there. You get a few aches and pains sometimes because you’ve gone from not using it for five months to hammering balls with it, but other than that it’s been fine.”

Photo: Action Images

tractordownsouth added 15:39 - Aug 7 A shame but Best not to risk a longer term injury, time for Bajner to shine.
11

Lightningboy added 15:45 - Aug 7 Let's make sure he's 100% fit..would rather him sit out the first few games than come back to soon and aggrevate his injuries.
8

unstableblue added 15:46 - Aug 7 We need you - but don't rush it David. Ah yes the 0-0 Blackpool 'stalemate', memories of the dross of games that made up last season.... god it was terrible at times. Please play better this term Mick.
0

CavendishBlue added 15:50 - Aug 7 So Gerks Chambers Berra Smith Mings Anderson Hyam Skuse Henshall Murphs Bajner Subs Bailkowski,Hewitt,Parr,Wordsworth,Bru,Marriott, McGoldrick ....it is then....
4

TractorBoy666 added 15:52 - Aug 7 I just hope he is 100% fit for the budgies! Would be nice to see him bag a few in that game. But for now we can't afford to hurry him back for him to then get injured again because I feel he's the most important player we have and he's what makes us good going forward.
3

TractorBoy666 added 15:53 - Aug 7 CavendishBlue...how could you forget Tabb?!
3

NoCanariesAllowed added 16:12 - Aug 7 I'd still be surprised if it wasn't Murphy and Nouble starting. Not that I think Mick is necessarily risk-averse but I can't see him throwing Bajner on from the start in his first-ever Championship game. I could be wrong. Part of me hopes I am, just out of curiosity about what the young lad can do.
2

goleszowski added 16:14 - Aug 7 mm will be forced to use him and he'll be knackered again
0

bluemikey100 added 16:14 - Aug 7 diddy mcsubrick o score the winner in 90 th minute do nicely
0

unknown100 added 16:20 - Aug 7 #cavendishblue I think that should be the team but I have a bad feeling you are going to see tabb... Two big strikers, 2 quick wingers who can cross, a play maker and a ball winner, solid defence could be a good game, think Anderson will step up this season
2

coyb99 added 16:21 - Aug 7 Perfect time for Nouble/Bajner to shine! Would like to see bajner accompany murphy up front, think bajner has looked sharp in preseason
1

CavendishBlue added 16:27 - Aug 7 Tractorboy666 Silly me. Tabb Tabb Tabb Tabb Tabb Tabb Tabb Tabb Tabb Tabb Tabb Sub Tabb Tabb Tabb Tabb Tabb Tabb Tabb It is then....
5

tractorboybig added 16:31 - Aug 7 cavedishblue.. this team you select will not give any penalties away...
8

arc added 16:31 - Aug 7 Murphy and Marriott up front for me.
0

TimmyH added 16:42 - Aug 7 Not really a surprise that he is on the bench even if he isn't 100% fit, he is really the only true bit of quality we have upfront. Probably the right decision.
4

Surco72 added 16:52 - Aug 7 Cavendish .. think we may see Tabb and Nouble in the starting side , hope not but MM is if anything predictable . 4 centre backs in the back four and three defensive minded work hard midfielders has Keane returned ?
-1

bohslegend added 16:53 - Aug 7 Great to have him back - in any capacity.
2

bohslegend added 17:00 - Aug 7 Surco, you may be right, but if you're wrong will you hold your hands up and back off? There are so many on here throw out these little digs at MM before anything has actually happened. The old theory that a constant critic will eventually be proved right seems to apply here.
4

oldelsworthyfan added 17:01 - Aug 7 Hyam and Skuse? That's negative. Why not a good run for Wordsworth?
0

jas0999 added 17:14 - Aug 7 Suspect we will start with Murphy/Nouble and although I have no doubt they will give there all, whether they will score is another matter. Still, what chance have the strikers got when the central midfield two is Skuse/Hyam? Very defensive.
0

Ipswich_Loyal added 17:14 - Aug 7 My team for saturday: Gerks Chambo Berra Smith Mings Ando Hyam Skuse Henshall Marriot Murphy ----------------------------------- What it will be: Gerks Chambo Berra Smith Mings Ando Hyam Skuse Tabb Noublaaayy Murphy
4

Len_Brennan added 17:16 - Aug 7 I have a sneaky feeling that MM will play Parr at RB if fit, which could see Chambers move back into the middle. Would be harsh on Smith, but whichever of our 3 quality CBs were to start on the bench would be unlucky. Bottom line is that we were suspect a few times at RB last season - no fault attached to Chambers, who did a decent job out of position. Berra is a certain starter though & Chambers is captain, so he might get the nod. I don't see Hewitt starting at RB yet, although he would be an excellent wing back if we switched to a 3 centre backs formation. Prediction for MM team selection, if Parr is fit: Gerken Parr, Chambers, Berra, Mings Anderson, Skuse, Hyam, Tabb Murphy, Bajner Subs: Bialikowski, Smith, Hewitt, Henshall, Wordsworth, Nouble & McGoldrick

2

BlueandTruesince82 added 17:25 - Aug 7 I dont think Bajner (Badger?) Will start but other than that I think Cavendish has it spot on other than that. Nouble and Murph to start but personally Murp and Marriot would be my choice.
1

Ipswich_Loyal added 17:26 - Aug 7 No chance of Smith or Berra being dropped. Absolutely 0. Not on saturday anyway!
5

GerkensBeard added 17:51 - Aug 7 We need you David but this is a 46 game season so he has to get himself right. I honestly don't think he should play as much minutes this season because I think that was part of the reason for his injury, he was rarely ever subbed last season and virtually played 90 minutes Saturday and Tuesday and he's not naturally one of the fittest lads in the squad, but then again the reason he played all them 90 minutes is because he is our match winner, so therefore being our match winner id love to see him get 20 minutes Saturday

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