Assistant boss Chris Hutchings has hinted that there could be changes to the Town side which faces Hull City at the KC Stadium on Saturday. The match is the Blues’ third of eight in March with fatigue a concern for the Town management.

Hutchings said: “The team’s been playing well, so it’s very difficult to change it. We’ve had a period of games and it’s been in our minds that we might change the formation or we might change the personnel on Saturday because there are many, many games coming up.

“Whether we decide that will be seen later on. It’s something in the back of our minds that we’ve got quite a few players that can come in and do different jobs for us.

“Those experienced players who are out of the side are itching to get back in but the younger lads are doing their best to keep them out.”

An additional factor to come into the thoughts of Hutchings and boss Paul Jewell was the late arrival back in Suffolk after the Southampton game with diversions on both the M3 and the A12 extending the journey well into the small hours: “A horrendous trip back!

“But we’re back, we just get on with it and deal with it. We all moaned but we’ve had a little bit of recovery and we’re raring to go again because we’re doing OK at the moment.

“Because of the intensity that we played and the travelling, maybe one or two fresh legs coming in is something that we’re looking at. Some people do it, some people don’t.

“It might be at half-time you see how things go and you might have to change it then. We’ll have to wait and see.”

In the second half of the FA Cup tie at the KC Stadium in Hull in January, which the home side won 3-1, the Blues switched to a 4-5-1 formation at half-time, something which may come into the management's thoughts.

Hutchings said: “They stick to a system that they play well with one up top, two staying wide and one coming off the striker and causing problems. It’s something that we’ll look at, work on in training and decide which way we want to go about it.

“We want to go there and win the game. We’re not going there to shut up shop, that’s for sure. We’ve said before that wherever we go we want to try and win games, but we’ve got to be solid while we’re doing that.”

New signing Ryan Stevenson has come off the bench in the last two games and Hutchings says the Scot is itching to make his first start for his new club: “He hadn’t played a lot after being up in Scotland. His wife’s just had a baby, which is great and she’s moved down here now.

“He’s been on the bench for the last few games and had a little taster and he’s very hungry to start a game.

“But we’ve been winning and you’ve got to wait for your chance and be ready and take it when it comes.”

Also pushing for a place is Lee Bowyer, who is fit again after his groin injury: “Lee Bowyer was out injured and he’s come back into the fold and has been on the bench. We do have a number of options that we could chance.

“And we can’t forget Luke Hyam, he’s been very unlucky to be left out of the side. We just felt we needed a little bit more energy at that time because he’d played a lot of games for a young lad, like Aaron Cresswell’s played a lot of games.

“Tommy Smith has come in and done well, it’s Josh Carson’s first full season, JET’s first full season at this level. We just wonder whether it’ll catch up with one or two.

“Andy Drury’s come back from being on loan at Crawley and has done very, very well and sometimes you just have to tweak it here and there and freshen it up but it remains to be seen whether we do or not.”

Story syndicated from TWTD.co.uk

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