IT’S decision time for the Blues’ potential stars of tomorrow.

A crop of Town youngsters hoping to follow the likes of Luke Hyam and Josh Carson into Paul Jewell’s first team will be told in the coming weeks whether they have a future at the club.

The news that they have been waiting for has been described as a “horrible time” by Jewell and “the toughest part of my job” by academy director Sammy Morgan.

But the second-year scholars go into decision time with a vote of confidence from Hyam who has proved youngsters can go right through the Town ranks to the top.

The midfielder, who played a pivotal role in Town’s 1-0 win over Portsmouth on Tuesday night, said: “We have got some top quality players in there and hopefully their ability will shine through.

“They have to keep working hard and the end of the season is a really daunting time. You don’t know what is happening, you just want to sort your future out.”

Morgan revealed that there is still time for the youngsters to prove they are worth a professional contract although Jewell is also aware of the importance of letting the lads know their fate early.

The Blues boss, who admitted he will be heavily guided by Morgan and Under-18s coach Russell Osman, said: “It’s horrible time when you’re telling some they’re being let go, but it can be great when you’re telling them they’re staying on.

“I’ll have a meeting with the academy people and hear their recommendations. We haven’t spoken yet, but we want to make decisions as early as possible though to try and give the lads as much time as possible to try and get themselves fixed up somewhere else.

“You try and do the right things by the players even if it’s not good news.”