The Blues will be without both Owen Garvan and Kevin Horlock when they face Watford at Portman Road on Saturday. The Irish youngster injured an ankle in the Coventry game, while Horlock picked up a rib problem in the same match.

Boss Joe Royle confirmed the duo's absence: "Owen Garvan's wandering around in a surgical boot, so he won't be fit, and neither will Kevin Horlock.

"We couldn't understand why he was in so much pain if there was no crack or break to his ribs, but a second look at the x-ray has shown that there is a dislocation of an intercostal and he's likely to be out for a few weeks."

Garvan is expected to return sooner than the former Northern Ireland international but is still likely to be a doubt for next week's match at Brighton.

Loanee Jimmy Juan should make his second start for the Blues, while Matt Richards could continue in the midfield having impressed his boss against Coventry: "It's a chance for Jimmy Juan and Matt Richards. I've always thought that Matt's best chance of going forward with us would be in midfield and I thought he did very well. Obviously, they are both very much in the frame."

The injuries to Horlock and Garvan, on top of Ian Westlake's long-term ankle problem, means that numbers are now short in midfield. The Town manager says he has unsuccessfully tried to add to his squad: "I made more enquiries about loan players, the same players, but with the same results. Beyond that I don't want to say any more about loans."

Royle says that Westlake is making good progress: "I've just been speaking with the physio and he's pencilled in to start football training on the 31st of this month. He's been running for a couple of weeks, albeit with a restraint on his ankle.

"He'll get fit very quickly, it's more a matter of playing games. The long-term forecast of Christmas might be slightly long now but it won't be too far away."

Watford boss Adrian Boothroyd is not someone the Town manager knows but Royle says he isn't surprised that the Hornets got off to a flyer: "He's one of the new kids on the block. They've had a great start. They had a good base last year, they did well here, and had a lot of young, fit players.

"They could have won at Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday. They would say they should have won, but our scout says a draw was right on the night, although they might have won it at the end.

"I saw them on Saturday in a tight game with Leicester, which was typical of the division. They, like us, have their good days and their not so good days."

Dean McDonald will return to the bench after narrowly missing out of a place in the 16 against Coventry. Kevin Horlock wasn't expected to make it having suffered a knee injury against Reading but was declared fit to face the Sky Blues at the last minute, only pick up his rib problem just before half-time.

Royle will decide whether to add any more youngsters to his squad after Thursday training. Skipper Jim Magilton will return after being rested on Tuesday.

Watford, who despite their good start are now without a league win in six matches, have no injury worries or suspensions, striker Darius Henderson having returned to action in the game against the Owls after a thigh strain.

The Hornets have not extended the loan of West Ham midfielder Carl Fletcher, which may alert Town who were keen to sign the former Bournemouth man on similar terms prior to his switch to Vicarage Road.

Strikers Gabriel Agbonlahor and Trevor Benjamin have also completed loan spells and have returned to Aston Villa and Peterborough respectively.

Saturday's referee is Chris Foy from Merseyside. The select group official has shown 24 yellow and two red cards in 10 matches this season. Foy last refereed the Blues in the 4-1 defeat at West Brom in September 2003.

Squad: Price, Supple, Sito, McEveley, Naylor, De Vos, Wilnis, Richards, Magilton, Juan, Currie, McDonald, Proudlock, Forster, Parkin, Bowditch.

Photo: Action Images

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