Town boss Mick McCarthy believes 18-year-old midfielder Teddy Bishop fully deserves the new contract he signed last week, but says the club are careful not to give young players too much, too soon.

Bishop signed a new deal which secures him to the Blues until June 2018 with Town having an option for a further season.

“What’s nice about [owner] Marcus [Evans] is that we’ve signed the kids,” McCarthy said. “They’re not getting massive deals, they have to earn them, but when they do earn them they get their just rewards, which is nice.

“It can ruin youngsters if it goes soaring too high too soon. Bish has been great. He’s been excellent in everything he’s done and it’s just rewards for him and it’s great for us because we’ve got him on a long contract.”

He’s confident that the youngster will be up to the physical and mental rigours of the Championship run-in.

“Of course,” he insisted. “When you’re 18, I think that mental bit, do you ever think about it? I didn’t. I just played. I didn’t know why I was playing well, didn’t know why I was playing bad except when you’re playing bad everybody else can tell you why. They don’t tell you when you’re playing well.

“Bish has done nothing other than play well since he came in. I think the older you get you start to think about it more. When you’re younger you’re just playing football and he’s a good footballer.”

McCarthy says defender Matt Clarke, also 18, has been unlucky not to play more often than his start in the Capital One Cup at Crawley and his brief sub appearances at Millwall and against Birmingham on Tuesday, his home debut.

“Clarkey’s been in and around the first team but our defenders have been solid and he’s not got a chance or he would have played. I would have played him if we’d got injuries.”

Academy first-year scholar Kundai Benyu, 17, also signed a new contract last week, until the summer of 2017, and McCarthy says the central midfielder is likely to break into a matchday 18 at some point soon having travelled with the squad to Brighton.

“Kundai has been in the squad and trained with us today,” he added. “I fancy that he will get in the squad at some stage as well.

“It’s lovely to see them coming through the academy. It’s great for Bryan Klug and his staff because when they’re not coming through everyone’s questioning when the next one’s coming and asking why we haven’t got any young ‘uns coming through.

“It’s fairly cyclical. It could be a 10-year cycle that you get some and then you don’t. But I think when they do come through it breathes a breath of fresh air into the club.”

Photo: Action Images

GiveusaWave added 07:29 - Feb 26 Its nice to see a good crop of young players coming through. Bishop, Benyu, Mcdonnell, Connolly, Clarke all show great promise (never seen Benyu play but he's meant to be good!). Hopefully they will all be involved quite soon in the first team.
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MacMan added 07:38 - Feb 26 This is what a good football club should be all about...developing talent to feed them into the team, and the more the better. It's a huge testament to the work of everyone at the academy. Let's hope we can go on and emulate Southampton and produce good young players that shine in the premiership...playing for Ipswich.
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parkinshair added 08:24 - Feb 26 Of late I would say our defence has looked far from solid. Would like to see Clarke given a bit more game time before the end of the season.
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blueherts added 09:40 - Feb 26 This is how clubs like us can and will compete in the future - The ACADEMY is key to the success of our club Great to see , after quite afew years of 'false dawns' - Exciting youngsters scouted and now coming thru ranks is positive Good to hear stories like this rather than 'lets spank £50k a week on a player in the hope we may go up - and if we dont - what then - It is easy to people to gamble with 'Funny money' but ME does live in the 'real world' If we mae the play offs this year that is progress Year on Year - I think ALL on here would see that - If we go up automatically - unbelieveable ! Well done ME and MM and MILTS for really building for the future and not just short tern gambles

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kidsurello added 11:35 - Feb 26 Seen Kundai Benyu play and he is a serious player, controlled the midfield so well when I saw him, energetic holding player with an eye for a pass. Bright future for the lad.
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Green_Army added 15:52 - Feb 26 Southampton have done it the right way, now look at them! Academy is key for long term success!
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Seasider added 17:18 - Feb 26 Maybe the influence of Bryan Klug has had something to do with this. It should also help with our Grade1 application,which seems to have gone off the radar of late. Does anyone know where we are with this and when a decision will be made?
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jas0999 added 19:51 - Feb 26 Agreed. Well deserved. Such a shame Tabb is getting a game in central midfield before him. I would go Bishop over Tabb every time. Well done Teddy. Great news for you and the club.
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MedwayTractor added 21:53 - Feb 26 Jas - agreed that Bish should play, but I think that, as this is his first season, it is sensible for MM to give him rests, not to make him play every game. I'd rather see him play in the more important games, like Sunday, than see him burnt out. Think (if you must) of Will Hughes at Derby, Bish is a season behind Hughes.
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Steelmonkey added 07:26 - Feb 27 Anyone know if Matt Clarke is a right or left side de player?
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