RICHIE Wellens will freshen up his side for Tuesday night’s EFL Trophy clash at home to Chelsea U21s as he looks to manage his squad’s workload in the opening month of the new season.

Town began the 2019-20 campaign with a 2-0 win at Scunthorpe United in League Two on Saturday and the visit of the young Blues side to SN1 represents the first match at the Energy Check County Ground of the season.

That trip to the Iron was the first of eight matches Wellens’ side play in August, with Town travelling to Colchester United in the Carabao Cup next Tuesday as well as facing five further league fixtures.

With the games already coming thick and fast, Wellens says a match against Chelsea’s youth squad offers him the ideal chance to rotate his team as well as gifting players not involved against Scunthorpe a chance to stake their claim.

“We will see how the players come out of Saturday. Then, I think it is right – because we have got eight games this month – to change quite a few of the players,” said Wellens.

“There are certain players who have done well in pre-season and deserve a crack at getting 90 minutes.

“This season is going to be about the whole squad, it is no good me not giving minutes to the lads.

“For example, if I play Rob Hunt and then play him again on Saturday and the Saturday afterwards, Tyler Reid might not play for three weeks.

“Tyler will start at right-back and the players that I feel need minutes will get them.

“How can you go three months without a game and then play eight in a month? You can’t keep playing the same players.

“The top players – the lads at Man City and Liverpool – moan about the amount of games, but they have got unbelievable squads.

“We’re the same, so we have to rotate and give players an opportunity who are maybe not going to start next Saturday.”

Although the EFL Trophy represents a shot at silverware and a trip to Wembley for Town – something Wellens would dearly love to achieve – the meeting with Chelsea has to play second fiddle to next weekend’s second League Two assignment at home to Carlisle United.

“This will be a totally different game to Scunthorpe. It will have the feel of a pre-season friendly, I am well aware of that,” said Wellens.

“We want to win but it is not at the forefront of my thinking at the moment, my thinking is Carlisle at home.

“I would love to go all the way and win it but I am not going to put players who had 90 minutes on Saturday and will get 90 minutes next Saturday at risk of injury.”