Page 2 - Josh Carson News Today

Midfielder Josh Carson was an unused sub as Northern Ireland lost 3-0 to Norway in a friendly in Belfast this evening. The 18-year-old remains on two full caps.

Town defender Tommy Smith won his ninth full New Zealand cap as the All Whites lost 3-2 to Jamaica in Auckland. The Blues centre-half went close to grabbing an injury time equaliser with a header which flew over the bar.

Damien Delaney replacing the injury Ibrahima Sonko at the heart of the defence seems likely to be the Blues’ only change when they take on Portsmouth at Fratton Park tonight looking for their third win in three games (KO 7.45pm). The Town stand-in skipper dislocated a rib in Saturday’s abandoned match against Middlesbrough and will be out for up to a month.

Eight Town players are set to add to their international caps at various levels today, amongst them key defender Gareth McAuley and Hungarian duo Márton Fülöp and Tamás Priskin.

Boss Mick McCarthy says he’s delighted with Town’s January transfer window business but doesn’t expect any further additions to come in on loan. From today, Football League clubs are able to take players on 93-day ‘emergency’ loans.

Town boss Paul Jewell has named an unchanged side for this afternoon’s game against bottom-of-the-table Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena. Keeper Alex McCarthy, back after a one-match ban, coming in for Richard Wright on the bench is the only change to the 16.

Dallas FC manager Schellas Hyndman says Blues keeper Richard Wrights trial with his club is with a view to a possible future move rather than the 34-year-old joining the MLS side for the season ahead. TWTD reported that

Portsmouth assistant manager Leam Richardson says on-loan Blues centre-half Matt Clarke has been a “pleasure to work with and is delighted that the Barham-born academy product has extended his spell at Fratton Park until the end of the season.

Towns reserves were dumped out of the Suffolk Premier Cup via a 2-1 defeat at Felixstowe and Walton on Tuesday night in front of watching boss Mick McCarthy and assistant Terry Connor. Josh Carson netted late on for the Blues after Arran Sheppard and Andy Crump had given the home side the lead.

Town have sent a strong reserves side to Cobham for this afternoon’s behind-closed-doors friendly against Chelsea. Jaime Peters, who recently