Town manager Joe Royle is ringing the changes for the Blues' home Carling Cup tie with Brentford. Scott Barron is handed his senior debut, while Scott Mitchell will start for the first time. In goal, Welsh U21 stopper Lewis Price will make his inaugural senior appearance at Portman Road.

Royle is forced into the changes by injuries to Fabian Wilnis, Matt Richards and Jason De Vos. The Dutchman has an infection in a gash on his shin picked up in last week's reserve game against Crystal Palace.

Richards returned from England U21 duty having aggravated a gash on his foot from one of Town's pre-season matches. Both full-backs are considered doubts ahead of Saturday's visit to Rotherham, with Wilnis looking the more likely to be available.

Central defender Jason De Vos is still suffering from the leg injury sustained in the Osasuna game which forced him out of Canada's match with Guatemala last week. He is rested as a precaution and is not thought to be a worry for Saturday.

In addition to the various knocks, loanee Tony Dinning is not available to Town for cup matches.

Better news is that Jim Magilton is back after his thigh injury and Royle plans to give his skipper 60 minutes. The Town manager says he is being careful with the veteran Northern Irishman: "We're certainly looking for at least 45 minutes from him. He's had no pre-season games at all and I'm not going to bust a gasket with him. He's done fine this morning and he's been as quiet as usual."

Free transfer-listed striker Pablo Couñago will be in Royle's line-up: "Pablo will start but I'm also mindful that we will change the other two as well if we can."

Town's squad is packed with home-grown talent, something Royle says should be celebrated: "It's a great day for the Academy with nine of the 16 all our own. It's not a gimmick. We're taking the game seriously, don't get me wrong, these changes are enforced, although I did always intend to give Scott Barron his debut.

"We want to do well and I'd love to go on to a final. We need a cup run, which is something we haven't had since I've been here."

Royle is also including 18-year-old centre-half Jerome Sobers in the squad. The Town boss says that Sobers, signed from Ford United last season, could have some involvement against the Bees: "He's still exceptionally raw but he's making big strides. He's a very quick player - he might be the quickest at the club - and he's growing into a fair old size.

"It's an early taste for him, whether he's ready I'm not sure but he's certainly making progress in training and he may or may not get his chance before the end of the game depending on how it's going."

Royle says Town have had scouts at recent Brentford games: "We've had them watched a couple of times. They've got experienced players we know about, people like John Salako and Isaiah Rankin. We'll pay them due respect. This isn't a weakened side because we want to make it weak, this is forced by injuries."

Bees' boss Martin Allen is also set to make changes to his side after describing their display in a 3-0 loss to Peterborough at the weekend as the worst since he moved to the club: "I'm certainly not going to name individuals, they had won the two previous games they'd played. But Saturday was the worst performance since I took over. I feel hurt.

"Well, I'll have to change it. I'm not going to stand for that. I want to win badly."

Tuesday's referee is Paul Taylor from Cheshunt. So far this season he has shown seven yellow cards in three games with his red card yet to get an outing. Last season he booked 126 players in 34 games, sending off 14.

Mr Taylor last refereed Town in the 3-1 home defeat to Wigan Athletic in February but was also the official in the Blues' 2-1 Carling Cup exit at Notts County last September when he gave the home side a very highly arguable penalty.

Squad: Barron, Bent, Bowditch, Couñago, Davis, Diallo, Horlock, Kuqi, Magilton, Miller, Mitchell, Murray, Naylor, Price, Sobers, Westlake.

Photo: Action Images

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