Boss Kieran McKenna admits it’s far from ideal that suspended left-back Leif Davis will go a month without a competitive game but says the Blues will use the international break to try to keep the 26-year-old up to speed.

Davis was controversially banned for three games by the FA last week for an incident in the Leicester City match a fortnight ago in which the full-back was adjudged to have pulled Foxes defender Caleb Okoli’s hair.

The former Leeds man was in the side which drew 3-3 against Stoke City on March 10th but won’t be available again until the East Anglian derby at Norwich City on April 11th with the final international break of the season following Saturday’s home game against Millwall, the second match of Davis’s ban.

“It’s not ideal when it comes over an international break as a three-game ban can be over in six days in the Championship,” McKenna reflected ruefully.

“But we will use the international break and have a game during that break for the boys who need it.

“It’s a chance to get some real load into the players, including Leif, so we will make the best of the situation.

“It’s rare that an international break goes by where we don’t do something, whether an in-house game or a fixture against someone else.

“Of course, the focus on that is for those who haven’t played as many minutes and we have a few in that category.

“We will have some players away, a few players who need to do a little bit less and we have planned a block.

“It’s a little bit different to have more than two weeks out at this point and then eight games in whatever space it is.

“But we have a plan for that and will start actioning that from 3pm on Saturday. We will put that plan in action, but up until that point the full focus is on the game this weekend.”

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