Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna confirms ‘stretched’ squad for Watford visit, while George Hirst and Wes Burns remain sidelined

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has confirmed that his squad is ‘stretched’ for tomorrow’s Sky Bet Championship match against Watford, while George Hirst and Wes Burns will miss the next two games.

The Blues welcome the 14th-placed Hornets to Portman Road (7.45pm) hoping to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat, in the East Anglian Derby, at local rivals Norwich City on Saturday.

Town could have the opportunity to regain top spot with a victory over Tom Cleverley’s side if leaders Leicester fail to win when they travel to Millwall tonight.

Ahead of the trip to Carrow Road, McKenna stated there was illness in the Blues’ camp and, speaking in his pre-match press conference today, he confirmed there are still problems within his squad.

“We’re pretty stretched. There are quite a few players making themselves available, the availability is still pretty high,” he said.

“I think there’s only George (Hirst), Janoi (Donacien) and Wes (Burns) who are her on the long-term injury front.

“Everyone else was training today but there’s still some physical issues, medical (issues) and injuries around the camp.

“The players are putting in a really good physical effort and making themselves available. I’m sure we’ll see a really energetic performance tomorrow night.”

The Town boss also, unsurprisingly, verified that striker Hirst and winger Burns are both unavailable for the Blues’ next two matches – which includes the visit of Middlesbrough on Saturday (3pm).

“They’re both working on the grass now and we’ll continue to monitor them,” said McKenna.

“We have a two-week break after the Middlesbrough game and I’m sure we’ll have a much better guide then on how they’re doing and which games they might be available for.”

On Burns’ injury, he added: “It was a hamstring strain. I won’t go into the grades and letters that get attached to these things but it was a proper hamstring pull.

“No surgery required, he’s recovering well, the scans have looked better. He’s got a long way to go but he’s making good progress.”