Many in the game dislike the international break. Managers at the top clubs lose most of their players for a week or so, with the prospect of some of them returning injured.

Planning for the next match is meaningless until the entire squad are back.

Players who are not called up for international duty dislike having a blank weekend, as do the fans. One of the plus points about being in League One for the past three seasons has been matches are scheduled as normal during international breaks, giving continuity to the fixture list.

For some managers, particularly at Championship level, the break may be beneficial. Players carrying knocks through the hectic Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday early season schedule have a chance to recover.

The manager has a few days to assess his squad without the pressure of an impending match. Does he need to strengthen, if so where and who might be available. Similarly, he can look to loan players out to get them some game time or a possible permanent move in January.

Scott Wagstaff’s loan to Leyton Orient initially seemed strange, given that Danny Green had to be taken off after 20 minutes at Blackpool. Possibly, the fact that Green was replaced by Bradley Pritchard, rather than Wagstaff, was a hint that he was not going to figure in Powell’s plans for this season.

As well as Pritchard, Powell can call upon Lawrie Wilson, Danny Haynes and Jordan Cook to play on the right side of midfield, so he may feel he has enough options.

Though only at Orient for 28 days, it would be no surprise if Wagstaff’s deal is extended. The Maidstone born wide man was linked with moves to Nottingham Forest and Burnley over the summer so there is some evidence that he could be deemed as surplus to requirements.

If Wagstaff’s future is away from The Valley, and Powell feels he has enough options on the right side of midfield, he may look to strengthen elsewhere. Powell’s preference is for young, hungry players and, with his naturally cautious approach, he may look to bolster his defence.

It is interesting that the development squad fielded a trialist at the heart of the defence in Tuesday’s friendly with Luton. The player completed the entire 90 minutes so it would seem that he did enough to impress and the club are interested in him. Also, clubs tend to keep the identity of a player under wraps if there is competition for his signature.

The Under-21s have a league fixture at Millwall on Saturday morning, so it will be interesting to see if the ‘Luton trialist’ features again. If he does play, impresses and meets the manager’s template, it could be a case of one in, one out.