JOSH Magennis may have provided him with an unexpected boost but Phil Parkinson will have no qualms about handing Christian Doidge his first Championship start.

Magennis picked up an injury while away with the Northern Ireland squad but has improved enough to at least be in contention to face QPR this afternoon.

Should the striker join Andy Taylor in missing out – the left-back is expected to be unavailable today – the manager is happy for his capture from Forest Green Rovers to show what he can do in the second tier.

Doidge found the net four times in League Two for Forest Green before his deadline-day switch to Bolton and Parkinson is confident he can make the step up to Championship football.

"Andy Taylor is probably going to just come up short this weekend, " he admitted. "Josh Magennis has made great strides since he came back from Ireland and he’s pushing hard to be involved at the weekend which is great to see.

"He trained with [physio] Matty Barrass yesterday and he’s trained today and we’ll assess that in the morning but it’s refreshing to see his attitude and his determination to get out there and play.

"Chris comes into the squad and I think the international break has been good for him, it’s given him a chance to settle in with his new team-mates and find a place to live because that’s important as well.

"He’ll be settled, he’s confident in his own ability and he’s got a great desire to prove he can play at this level.

"Chris has got qualities in terms of his movement and his finishing ability in and around the 18-yard box. He’s good in the air, he’s a decent target man and it’s a step up for him but many players have bridged that gap before.

"He’s got a real hunger and a desire to prove himself at this level, he’s the option we took and looking at Chris over the first couple of weeks he’s been with us we feel it’ll prove to be the right one."