McCarthy missing, Hill returns

McCarthy missed the 1-1 draw with Preston at the weekend after suffering a recurrence of a shoulder injury in training and is extremely doubtful for the match. However, Warnock is boosted by the return of fellow defender Clint Hill who is available once again after serving a one-match ban on Saturday. On-loan West Ham striker Freddie Sears is also set to return to contention after recovering from the groin injury which kept him out at the weekend. The original clash between the two was due to take place on September 15 but was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.