Town boss Mick McCarthy is hopeful midfielder Cole Skuse will be fit enough to be involved when the Blues face Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday, while he says top scorer Tom Lawrence, skipper Luke Chambers and centre-half Christophe Berra should all be over minor niggles and Myles Kenlock will travel having recovered from his calf injury.

“He’s been having treatment and nursing it all week,” McCarthy said regarding Skuse, who was substituted in the first half of last Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Reading with an achilles injury.

“But he’s been out on the grass this morning and he’s come back in and he’ll be training with us tomorrow, so fingers crossed he doesn’t have any negative reaction from it and he’ll be fine for Saturday.”

McCarthy felt Grant Ward slotted into the three-man midfield well in Skuse’s place against the Royals.

“He did,” the Town manager added. “That’s what substitutes are there for, to make a difference. If somebody gets injured to come on and replace them and hopefully be better, but certainly not be any worse.

“And if we’re struggling to come on and make a difference and help us get back in a game or help us to win a game, and to be fair to Wardy he’s done that on every occasion he’s been called upon.”

Regarding the rest of his squad, he said: “Chambo’s not trained but he’ll train tomorrow and he’ll be fine. Tom Lawrence had a really nasty bruise on his foot, he’s not trained up until today, but he’s done a bit with Skusey and he looks like being fine.

“Christophe had a sore achilles, but again should be all right. So they’ve been nursing a few little bumps and bruises and niggles but I should have the same team to pick from and the rest of the squad should be fit.”

Kenlock and Smith made their returns to action in the U23s on Monday after a calf problem and back surgery respectively and McCarthy says the 20-year-old left-back will make the trip to the Midlands.

“Tommy Smith won’t be travelling, not after one game having been out for five months,” he said. “He’s not ready for that, he’d admit that himself.

“He played well on Monday night against Watford, it was a nice, easy game for him, to be fair. If you win 8-0 the centre-halves haven’t had much to do but what he did he did well.

“Kenlock’s different, he’s been out for four weeks, since QPR, and he’s not had a major back operation, so he’s in better shape to come with us.”

New winger Danny Rowe, who played 45 minutes for the U23s and impressed in the hammering of Watford, isn’t yet fully fit having joined the Blues from Macclesfield with a minor groin problem.

Jonny Williams (shoulder), Adam Webster (ankle), Luke Hyam and Giles Coke (both knee) remain sidelined, while new loanee Dominic Samuel, who scored a hat-trick in Monday’s U23s victory, will be available for the senior side for the first time having been ineligible against his parent club Reading last weekend.

Photo: TWTD

dannyrr added 21:13 - Feb 9 I'm sure it's a solid bet that he will have Skuse there if fit. The free flowing attacking game of football is not for us. Loads of touches in our own half for possession stats then pass back to keeperfrom half way line. Not hard to work out why our strikers are not scoring. The ball needs to be in the opposition half not the strikers defending in our half. It'll be back to normal again soon.

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blueboy1981 added 21:51 - Feb 9 ..... wonder how long it will be before 'it was a game we needed Dougie and Skusey in' is ringing in our ears ? God forbid that to happen - PLEASE.
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casper16 added 22:09 - Feb 9 Yes Skuse breaks up opposition play sometimes but he also slows down our play, plays the defence into trouble with his backward/sideways passing & rarely makes a good foward pass. Surely we must try to play without him & maybe we can build an attacking midfield ready for next seasons promotion challenge.
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Lightningboy added 22:25 - Feb 9 Oh Jeeeeez. I'd rather have a bag of cement in the centre of midfield than Skuse.
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tempzzzz added 11:35 - Feb 10 a friend asked me if I regretted cancelling my season ticket after the Derby game, what with the quality of the reading performance. I said no because I know Dino will just revert back to s favourites next time round and it'll be awful again. This proves my point, better without Skuse but he'll come straight back in, better with Emanuel but he still put Chambers back as RB earliest chance he got! Kenlock played well but couldn't replace the dreadful Knudsen after his injury cleared up. Sears incapable of hitting the target yet Pitman on the bench every week! Berra dreadful yet makes the team every week (albeit we have lacked in options from bench in that case) We've had a couple of great games this season but they're never consistent. Not spending £35 a month for 1 decent game every 6 weeks! I'll come back when he's gone!

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TimmyH added 12:01 - Feb 10 Utterly flatters to deceive, does the basics ok but don't expect anymore, as for Mick's comments he made last season that he was a Premiership player is laughable.
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