Midfielder Ian Westlake is the only absentee ahead of Saturday's FA Cup third round tie with Derby County. The youngster has flu and failed to make Friday training. Better news for Town is that John McGreal and Tommy Miller are over the virus and that Jermaine Wright is OK after his foot injury.

Wright picked up his knock in the loss to Crystal Palace last weekend but has trained in the latter period of this week without any recurrence.

Town's only long-term injuries, Drissa Diallo and Chris Makin, are both on the mend and could be in action within the next month.

Diallo is back in training and is likely to be involved in a behind-closed-doors practice game next week. Makin has had his stitches out after his thigh operation and will be in light training next week but is still some weeks away from a return to first team action.

Keeper Lewis Price would have started against Derby but for his finger ligament injury. The 19-year-old, who is yet to make his senior debut, is having x-rays early next week and will subsequently see a specialist.

Short-term signing Nathan Abbey will continue on the bench in the meantime, but may not have his contract renewed when it is up next week as Andy Marshall is now back at the club after his loan spell at Wolves.

Manager Joe Royle confirmed that he would switch things around a little for the visit of Derby, but would not go into specifics: “There will be changes. All things being equal I would like to give one or two players a ‘shirt' game.”

Midfielders Tommy Miller, Martijn Reuser and striker Dean Bowditch are amongst those who will be hopeful of getting a place in the starting line-up.

Despite the personnel switches, Royle says it is a big match for Town: “It's an important game for us, a very important game, but equally the game the week after is more important to me. I'd love to have a cup run but the league is our priority.

“If we were in a 38 or 36 game season in this division I wouldn't be thinking about resting people. But we're in a 46 game season in this division, and the possibility of the play-offs at the end can't be ignored.

“I remember at Oldham we had a great cup run which took us into 60-odd games and by the end the players were running through mud.”

Ticket sales have been low ahead of Derby's visit, but Royle doesn't feel the FA Cup's status has become diminished: “It's not lost any of its appeal to me. I'm just trying to be practical about things and it's a chance to rest one or two.”

Royle, the last English manager to win the FA Cup with Everton in 1995, says that two losses in succession at home hasn't increased the pressure on his side: “There's always pressure on the team to win, that's professional football. We don't want to be making it three in a row, particularly with the ex-manager coming here.

“I've got no problem with George, we're great mates, but I don't want to see him walking away from here with a fourth round tie in his pocket. We're very serious and very passionate about the tie. The fact that there will be changes is nothing to do with it being the FA Cup, it's to with resting one or two people.”

Derby have been given clearance to play new Spanish striker Manel against the Blues, the 30-year-old signing on New Year's Day after recently leaving Espanyol. Manager George Burley has big hopes for the Barcelona-born front man: "He's a big, powerful striker with two good feet.

“Technically he's exceptional, he's a great finisher, good in the air and very experienced. He's scored a lot of goals in Spain and has the potential to do the same for Derby."

On-loan Portsmouth striker Lee Bradbury has been given permission to play but may miss out with a thigh injury. Finnish midfielder Simo Valakari is a concern with a hip injury.

Saturday's referee is Phil Crossley from Bromley who earlier in the season officiated in Town's 1-0 Carling Cup win against Kidderminster Harriers. So far this season he has shown 50 yellow and four red cards in 17 games.

Squad: Abbey, Bart-Williams, Bent, Bowditch, Couñago, Davis, Kuqi, Magilton, McGreal, Miller, Naylor, Reuser, Richards, Santos, Wilnis and Wright.

Photo: Action Images

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