Town boss Kieran McKenna has warned that Tuesday’s opponents Rotherham United have been competitive in most matches this season, despite the Millers sitting bottom of the table, 14 points from safety.
The Blues remain fourth in the Championship, one point behind Southampton, who host Hull City on Tuesday, and three behind second-placed Leeds, who aren’t in action this midweek having played a game more than Town and the Saints.
McKenna’s men will be playing their third match in seven days, having won 4-0 at Millwall last Wednesday and then 2-1 in very heavy conditions at Swansea City on Saturday.
“It’s that phase of the season where games are coming thick and fast and recovery’s absolutely massive and we do everything we can here to help them with that, and the staff do a really good job,” McKenna told TownTV.
“But it’s also the players’ responsibility as well to be a top professional. You need to be ready to go every couple of days for 90 minutes, that’s what you have to be ready for.
“Of course, not everyone’s going to play those minutes, but that’s what everyone has to prepare themselves for.
“The players are fully aware of that. We’ll recover well over the next day to get ready for the game and we’ll make sure we’re ready to go again on Tuesday night.”
McKenna says the squad’s Monday morning training session will have been tailored to the frequency of games and the lengthy journey back from South Wales on Saturday night.
“Of course,” he said. “Not just because of the long trip but within 48 hours of the game, the players are still in the recovery process, so we’ll be careful with those who started the game.
“The other ones will be able to get a little bit more work in but then they’ve got to be ready for tomorrow night as well.
“We’re well used to finding a balance to these things and making sure that physically, mentally and tactically we’re as ready for the game as we can be.”
The Northern Irishman says he’ll look to tweak his side given the amount of football his players have been involved in over the last week and with subs again set to play an important part.
