Marcus Stewart and Mark Venus, the two Town players who missed out Wednesday with injury, should both be fit for Saturday's game at Everton. Both appear to have recovered from their strains suffered during the Arsenal match last week.

That means Town's only injury victims at the moment are Keith Branagan (knee problem) and Guillermo Graaven who has returned to Holland while he spends four months recovering from his ankle operation.

With international fixtures the week after next the international calls are flooding into Portman Road. So far there have been calls for Hermann Hreidarsson (Iceland away in the Czech Republic and then at home to Northern Ireland), Jim Magilton (captaining Northern Ireland V Denmark home and then in Iceland), Amir Karic (Slovenia V Luxembourg, away and Switzerland, home), Matt Holland (Ireland in Portugal and at home to Estonia) as well as another U21 Northern Ireland call for Sean Friars, playing the same countries as the senior side.

Expected to receive calls are Titus Bramble (England U21s) and Richard Wright (England full). There is also speculation from Town skipper Matt Holland that Jamie Clapham can't be too far away from a call-up: "Jamie Clapham cannot be too far away. He has been playing well and England do not have that many good left-sided players." England play Germany and Finland.

Alex Mathie has turned down the chance to join all his old mates at Colchester and has gone to York City instead. The hero of the 5-0 victory over Nationwide League Division One side Norwich City two seasons ago said: "I didn't want to move too far south."

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