Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy has revealed that Dean Gerken will keep his place in goal for tomorrow night’s Championship match at Leeds United, while in-form striker Freddie Sears is an injury doubt.

Gerken came into the side at Preston last month after Bartosz Bialkowski went on compassionate leave following the death of his father in Poland. Last Friday’s 5-1 defeat at Reading means the Blues have now conceded eight goals in two games.

“Gerks will be playing,” said McCarthy. “I think when you’ve conceded eight goals in two games, and I’ve said this to them, all positions are under threat.

“But I don’t believe in knee-jerk reactions because if you do that and somebody comes in and they don’t play well, you’ve not got a lot of room to manoeuvre then, have you? You’ve got to go back to Plan A.

“So, if Plan A’s all right and it’s worked for a long period of time, then keep with it. I’m not one that changes people for the sake it because each and every one of them was hurting just as much as I was and were just as embarrassed as I was about the other night.

“And it’s even worse for them, they were on the field. I’ve been there, I’ve been a player, but none of them let me down or let the club down intentionally, it was just a bad day in the office and we all have them.”

The Blues boss says Sears – who has scored four goals in six league games – is a doubt, but that Daryl Murphy, a second half sub at the Madejski, is now fully fit.

“Freddie’s got a tight hamstring,” said McCarthy. “We’ll just have to wait and see how he is. He’s the only one.

“But, of course, Teddy (Bishop) and Kevin Bru are playing in the Under-21s (at Birmingham) today, as is Tommy Oar. But all the others are fine.”

He added: “Freddie’s been exceptional, I’d be desperate to have him in the squad but what I won’t do is risk him.

“We had a bad day in the office on Friday, although I thought he was excellent again, but we’ve plenty of games left so I wouldn’t risk him at all.”