Ipswich Town centre-back Tommy Smith requires back surgery and is facing up to 12 weeks on the sidelines.

The 26-year-old started the games against Preston and Reading, but missed Wednesday night’s 1-0 win at Derby with the problem.

“Tommy unfortunately has a problem with his back, with a disc, and it looks like he’s going to require an operation to fix that,” said Blues boss Mick McCarthy, speaking ahead of tomorrow’s Championship visit of Aston Villa.

“It’s going to be a lengthy one. He’ll get it done, we’ll get the best people doing it, it’ll probably be 12 weeks.

“We’re going to miss Tom, he came back and he was excellent in the games he played.

“It’s sad for him, but we’ve got Adam (Webster), Bez (Christophe Berra) and Chambo (Luke Chambers) still, so we’ve still got cover there.”

He added: “I think he’s had it before, it’s just centre-backs jumping and heading all the time, it’s a fairly long lever in the back and you end up with that.

“He just complained about it a few weeks ago, whether he’s had it before that I don’t know.

“And in the Reading game and it really started to bother him. He’s been and had it looked at and he’s got to have it sorted out.”

Better news for the Blues is that Freddie Sears has been passed fit after a groin strain kept him out of the trip to the iPro Stadium, while Cole Skuse is over the illness which forced him off during the game against the Rams.

– See tomorrow’s EADT for full match preview.