Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy has got a welcome headache selection ahead of Saturday’s game against Huddersfield at Portman Road.
The Blues boss usually sticks with a winning side, but decided to freshen his team up following a bruising 1-0 win at Charlton last weekend.
All four of the players he brought into the starting line-up played big roles in Tuesday night’s 3-1 home win over Blackburn; Luke Hyam, Carlos Edwards and Frank Nouble all scoring and Stephen Hunt the man-of-the-match.
McCarthy now has to decide whether to recall the likes of Ryan Tunnicliffe, Jay Tabb, Paul Anderson and Daryl Murphy for the visit of a Terriers side who are level on points with the Blues following three successive wins.
Club captain Edwards – who has made just seven starts this season having been a virtual ever-present in recent years – said: “I would like to think I’ve staked my claim, but then again it’s down to the manager.
“It’s a different team we’ll be playing against so he’ll do his homework and we’ll see how it goes from there.
“If it is that he sees fit to change it around again I can’t complain, I’ll just have to wait until I get in again and hope that when it comes I can maybe get another goal.”
The 35-year-old continued: “I would love to play every game but it may not be the case. Coming round close to the Christmas period you’ve often got three games a week. You do need the whole squad at this time of year.”
Nouble, who has started just 10 games since signing for the Blues in January, said: “It’s up to the manager who he picks, he can do what he wants.
“Not starting against Leicester after coming on and doing well against Blackpool was disappointing, but that’s forgotten about now. We’ve won the last two games and that’s all that matters really.
“I just want to get longer than the 10 or 20 minutes I’ve been getting. Coming on can be hard. People will say you’ve got to make a difference, but you might be coming on and helping the team defend. Hopefully I took my chance on Tuesday.”
Ipswich are now the joint-fourth highest goal scorers in the Championship, their 28 goals in 18 games beaten only by Derby (35), Leicester (30), Burnley (29) and equalled by Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough.
Huddersfield are only behind the ninth-placed Blues in the table courtesy of a slightly worse goal difference.
The Yorkshire side have won their last three matches by a single goal, beating Sheffield Wednesday (2-1 away), Burnley (2-1 at home) and Bolton (1-0 away).
Mark Robins has been playing a 5-3-2 wing-backs system of late. Tomorrow he will be able to call upon the services of midfielder Adam Clayton and striker Martin Paterson again following suspension and injury respectively.