Blues boss Paul Jewell says adding a 20-goals-a-season striker to his squad remains his priority for the summer, along with a holding midfield player. The Town manager is reasonably pleased with his side’s defensive record but says the Blues haven’t scored often enough.

Speaking prior to Saturday’s 1-0 win at Bristol City, Jewell said: “I think what stands out for us this season is that we haven’t got a 20-goal-a-season man.

“Our goals against ratio isn’t that bad. I think we’ve conceded fewer goals than Leeds and about the same as Norwich.

“But our goals for column isn’t good enough to be a promotion-chasing team. That’s one area where we need to improve.“

Jewell says Town can’t rely too much on teenagers Connor Wickham and Josh Carson for goals next season: “We have to remember that they’re only kids.

“Josh has broken on to the scene and done very, very well and Connor’s been spoken about an awful lot and handles it very, very well. But we want to bring competition in at the top end of the pitch, as well as everywhere else.”

Adding a holding midfielder is also very much on his summer wish list: “I think another area where we need to improve is by bringing in a defensive midfield player. We’re very attacking and the lads have done great but we just leave ourselves a bit open to the counter-attack, certainly at home.

“We’ve got to have that discipline from a holding midfield player just to give the back four a bit of protection.”

Jewell wasn’t aware that former boss Roy Keane was looking at similar players last summer and had come close to signing Shaun Derry, someone who has subsequently become one of almost-certainly-promoted QPR’s key men.

The Town manager says like Rangers, his successful sides have featured a number of senior players in that vein: “The promotion teams that we had at Wigan and Bradford were called ‘Dad’s Army’ sometimes because we had experienced players and sometimes you need that experience, added to youth, to get you up.”

Story syndicated from TWTD.co.uk

Photo: Action Images

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