Town boss Mick McCarthy says he expects midfielder Cole Skuse to be fine to face Norwich in Sunday’s East Anglian derby at Carrow Road but Teddy Bishop has emerged as a concern due to an ankle injury, while several other players remain sidelined.

McCarthy says he “100 per cent” expects Skuse to be OK, the 28-year-old having been subbed in the first half of Tuesday's 4-2 victory over Birmingham: “He’s just told me he’ll be fit and I believe him, I’ve no reason not to.

“Skusey’s played most games, he’s not one of them that’s going to say ‘Gaffer, I’ll be fit’ when he’s not.

“Unless, of course, he wakes up in the middle of the night and he’s slept wrong. Or he goes to brush his teeth and his back goes into spasm, that can happen. You might get out of your car and [it happens]. But he’ll be fit, Skusey, I’m sure.”

However, Noel Hunt and Luke Hyam (both knee) and Darren Ambrose and Stephen Hunt (both hamstring) remain sidelined, while Bishop is a new concern.

“Teddy Bishop rocked his ankle in training but I’m hoping he’ll be OK as well. We’ll give him every chance, we’ll wait until tomorrow to make a decision on him.”

David McGoldrick also again misses out due to his thigh injury, which is more serious than was initially expected: “He’s bad enough that I’ve been out and got Chris Wood on loan.

“That’s given us four strikers again. It’s just turned out that it’s worse than we first thought it was.”

With matches coming thick and fast, McCarthy says he’ll have to rotate his squad in the games to come: “I think so. I don’t think for one minute that 10 outfield players are going to play every game.”

Meanwhile, local boy Hyam will watch the derby from the away end with some of his friends, while keeper Bartosz Bialkowski - the only current Town player to be part of an East Anglian derby-winning squad - has controversially shaved off his beard.

Photo: Action Images

SickParrot added 00:42 - Feb 28 Norwich are in great form and we are not. They have many players who are good enough for the premier league but we do not. They have won the last 3 derbies by a 10 - 2 (?) aggregate score. I fear a fourth consecutive derby defeat and would happily take a 0 - 0.
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