Ipswich Town boss Paul Hurst will watch the young Blues take on Lowestoft tonight as he casts an eye over an unnamed player.
The Tractor Boys boss left a number of his younger players outside the squad for last night’s friendly victory over Crawley Town, opting instead to provide them with significant minutes against Lowestoft tonight.
Talented players such as Barry Cotter, Conor McKendry and Aaron Drinan featured in the defeat to Braintree Town on Saturday but were not involved last night. Meanwhile, Hurst has suggested Josh Emmanuel and Ben Folami could feature tonight having only been used as late substitutes last night.
The former Shrewsbury boss, who took over at Portman Road almost two months ago, will head to Lowestoft tonight to see whether any of his youngsters have the ability to force their way into his first-team.
“I didn’t want to bring as many as I did at the weekend (to Crawley) and for them to just be sat on the bench,” he said.
“They’ve got a game tomorrow at Lowestoft. A couple of the lads who came on late will play in that game as well.
“I think that’s better for them all. It gets them 75 to 90 minutes tomorrow evening.
“I’ll be there tomorrow night. I’m not saying I’ll be at every single one, but it’s early days and I want to see them play. Seeing them on the training ground is one thing, but a game against a decent side, certainly it will be a physical test, is another matter.
“In training one lad in particular has caught my eye out of the younger group. I am looking for more of them to do that.”
Hurst has, on a number of occasions, insisted each and every one of his players begin with a clean slate and that goes for experienced pros like Luke Chambers and those involved in the Blues’ youth teams.
“It’s always about impressing and some have and some haven’t,” Hurst said.
“People might have found it harsh what I’m saying but some players aren’t as good as what other people think and some have done better than what people think.
“As I’ve said at the start it’s a fresh beginning for everybody and, as I’ve already said, I don’t care, say, how many games Luke Chambers has played because he’s got to impress. It’s the same with the young lads.
“They might really step up and force their way into my thoughts.”
