Ipswich Town manager Paul Lambert has revealed that the Tractor Boys will monitor midfielder Flynn Downes to see if he can feature against Coventry City in the FA Cup on Sunday, and that Brett McGavin should be available.
Downes missed the Tractor Boys' goalless draw against League One promotion rivals Wycombe Wanderers at Portman Road on Tuesday night, with the 20-year-old suffering from a virus, and Lambert's side missed his creative energy at times against Wycombe as they were unable to secure a vital three points to close the gap on their opponents at the top of League One.
mcGavin, meanwhile, has missed the chance to play a part in the Tractor Boys' last two League One matches, having picked up a knock during Ipswich's 1-0 win at Lincoln City in the FA Cup first round replay a few weeks ago, which saw Lambert's side reach the second round where they will face Coventry on Sunday.
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Speaking in his press conference ahead of the Tractor Boys' trip to Coventry in the second round of the FA Cup on Sunday, Lambert suggested that Ipswich will wait and see whether Downes will be able to feature, while he also revealed that McGavin should be available, saying: "Flynn had a virus at the weekend, he trained with us this morning, but we will have to see how he is.
"Brett is fine, he got a knock at Lincoln, but he's fine now. He's been training with us."
The Verdict
McGavin's availability for the trip to Coventry will be a boost for Lambert, as he will probably be wanting to once again make changes to his starting line-up for the cup clash, so that he can keep most of his first choice starting line-up fresh ahead of the congested festive fixture list in the league.
The 19-year-old produced a very promising display in the previous round against Lincoln, which suggests he is ready to make an impact on a regular basis on Lambert's first team, and if he can come in against Coventry and produce a similar performance then he will certainly have given his manager something to think about.
Meanwhile, Downes' return to full fitness will also be a major boost ahead of the next few weeks, and Lambert might decide not to risk him from the start against Coventry on Sunday, to allow him to fully recover so he can come back into the starting line-up for Ipswich's next few potentially crucial League One games.