CITY are confident Josh Cullen will be fighting fit for a trip to the seaside.

Cullen was sorely missed in the 2-2 draw with Rochdale after proving an instant hit in his first two loan appearances – which were both won.

But the West Ham midfielder has recovered from the stomach bug that kept him out and is back training again ahead of Saturday's visit to Blackpool.

The teenager was named on the bench last weekend but Phil Parkinson revealed he had no plans to play him.

The City boss said: "Josh was never close to starting. It would have been asking a lot for a young lad new to league football who had hardly eaten from Tuesday onwards.

"We thought we'd keep him involved by putting him on the bench but only planned to bring him on in case of an emergency.

"When you pick up a sickness bug like that, your hydration levels aren't great or your energy. You've always got to be careful.

"It would be the same if it was one of our senior players, like Rory McArdle or Stephen Darby. If they had been sick and hadn't been able to train properly, we wouldn't have risked them playing.

"We've had a bit of illness round the squad – but Josh was able to train again on Monday and we're building him up gradually through the week."

The lingering effects of the illness may have been a contributing factor in City's below-par display against Rochdale, when they struggled to rediscover the form that had seen off Peterborough and Southend.

James Meredith has since missed training because of it and Lee Evans had been feeling unwell before the weekend.

Parkinson said: "We can play better, we know that. There are things we need to do better going into the Blackpool game this weekend. But when you look at the week we've just had, seven points from nine is a good return.

"It's always frustrating when you've got the chance to make it nine from nine. It shows that when you're playing the teams who are perceived to not be as strong because they are in the bottom half, there's not much difference.

"When they are really up for it, like Rochdale were at the weekend, it can be very difficult, although we weren't as good as we have been."