SCOTTISH club Ross County will check on Ipswich utility player Scott Barron tonight.Town jetted north of the border this morning and break new ground when they are in action at Brechin this evening as part of the hosts' centenary celebrationsDingwall-based County, who are Britain's most northerly senior club, are taking the opportunity to run the rule over Barron, one of several players that Ipswich boss Jim Magilton will allow to go out on loan.

By Mel Henderson

SCOTTISH club Ross County will check on Ipswich utility player Scott Barron tonight.

Town jetted north of the border this morning and break new ground when they are in action at Brechin this evening as part of the hosts' centenary celebrations

Dingwall-based County, who are Britain's most northerly senior club, are taking the opportunity to run the rule over Barron, one of several players that Ipswich boss Jim Magilton will allow to go out on loan.

They operate in the First Division, just one level down from the Premier, and only exited the Highland League 12 years ago.

Left-sided Barron, 21, has not featured for Town this season but previously clocked up 16 senior starts and can operate in defence or in midfield.

Magilton said: “We have sent a memo to other clubs advising them that we have a number of players who are available to go out on loan.

“Scott is one of them, along with Chris Casement, Sammy Moore and Jaime Peters. Our reserve fixtures are so few and far between that it would do all these lads good to have a loan spell and play regularly.”

Meanwhile, Magilton had to make a couple of changes to his squad and headed north with 17 players after Mark Noble and Ian Miller were forced to withdraw.

The Town boss explained: “Mark has been feeling a few niggly pains in his back so there is no point in him travelling.

“Ian suffered a nasty facial injury over at Felixstowe the other night so he's not going for obvious reasons.

“He's new to the club, of course, and has taken a bit of a ribbing. We all thought he was far too good looking and now he can call himself a proper centre-half!”

Magilton said his players were looking to get last week's defeat at Colchester out of their systems and the trip to Scotland was the perfect opportunity.

He added: “We've got the international break at the moment and all the lads are glad to have the chance of a game at Brechin.

“We've got a day's golf organised at Dalmahoy, near Edinburgh, tomorrow so it won't do any harm in terms of a bonding exercise, either.”

Several other senior players are absent from the squad, including Alan Lee, Casement and Peters, who are on duty with the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Canada respectively.

Gavin Williams is also missing after yesterday undergoing surgery to repair an on-going groin problem and Magilton reported: “The operation seems to have gone well.

“This is something that a few of the lads have had in the past so we know what we're dealing with and our medical people will keep an eye on him.”

Former Ipswich captain and coach Tony Mowbray, now manager of Hibs and linked with the vacancy at West Bromwich Albion, is likely to attend tonight's game at Glebe Park along with assistant Mark Venus, another ex-Town player.

Teenage striker Billy Clarke has been called up to the Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad for the first time in connection with a friendly in Luxembourg on October 18, the day after Town play Preston at home.