SLEEP’S been in short supply of late, but Jordan Rhodes will be bright-eyed and eager to add to his six-goal tally when Town tackle Yeovil at lunchtime today.

The 19-year-old frontline ace played the pain game in more than one way at St James’ Park on Wednesday.

A clash with Newcastle midfielder Ryan Taylor during the Carling Cup second-round tie meant four staples had to be inserted in a head wound at half-time.

The procedure was pretty uncomfortable, but didn’t prevent Rhodes, with his head heavily bandaged, slotting home from an acute angle to put Town 3-1 up just two minutes into the second half.

Lee Clark’s side were unable to go on and win the tie, however, with the Toon hitting back to seal a 4-3 win and a place in today’s third-round draw.

That meant Rhodes, whose father Andy was a beaten finalist in the competition with Oldham in 1990, was left to the pick the positives from the memorable meeting with the Magpies.

The former Ipswich man had plenty of time to do that after a fire alarm at the Huddersfield hotel which is his temporary home roused him in the early hours of Thursday!

“It was tough, because I’d only just gone to bed after coming back from Newcastle,” said the teenager who is currently house-hunting in the area.

“I felt a bit groggy on Thursday, but we’d been given a day off, so at least I had the chance to catch up on my sleep!”

It’s Rhodes’ first time away from home, because when his dad became goalkeeping coach at Ipswich in 2004, the whole family (mum Linda, brother Lewis, now 18, and sister Elinor, 12) relocated to Suffolk.

On Andy’s advice, then-Ipswich manager Joe Royle forked out £5,000 to sign Jordan from Barnsley, where he had been showing plenty of promise.

“I’ve had spells out on loan (at Oxford, Rochdale and Brentford) but this time it’s different, because I’m here for the long-term,” explained Rhodes, who signed a four-year deal when Clark persuaded Portman Road boss Roy Keane to part with the player at the start of this month.

“It’s been a bit strange leaving home and living in a hotel.

“But I keep in close touch with the family and with my dad now coaching over at Preston, we probably see more of each other than we did before.

“He’s now splitting his time between Lancashire, Yorkshire and Suffolk, and having him around has been a big help.

“But I also have to say that the rest of the players, and the supporters have been fantastic, and I’ve settled in really well.”

Rhodes announced his arrival by heading home the equaliser as Town fought back from two down to draw their opening-day League I game at Southend.

Two more goals followed as Stockport were beaten 3-1 in the first round of the Carling Cup, and the feat was repeated as Southampton were seen off by the same scoreline back at the Galpharm a fortnight ago.

Rhodes failed to make the scoresheet as Brighton were beaten 7-1 – “It’s a sign of the kind of competition I face here,” he pointed out – and was as disappointed as boss Clark and the rest of the team as Town flopped at Bristol Rovers last Saturday, when the West Country side won 1-0.

The midweek trip to Tyneside might have brought a second successive loss, but Rhodes, who was joined on the scoresheet by Theo Robinson, with two goals, one of them a penalty, insists Town can take heart from their performance.

“I think we showed a lot of heart and a lot of character to really push a very good Championship side,” he said.

“I think that if we’d managed to hold onto our 3-1 lead for a little longer (Geremi pulled a goal back within a minute) we could have gone on to win.

“But their second goal gave them a huge lift, and they showed their class and experience in coming back to win the tie.”

Having seen Newcastle first hand, Rhodes in convinced they can make it back to the Premier League at the first attempt, and thinks Town’s contribution to a match watched by 23,815 shows that reaching the Championship is a realistic ambition for Town.

“It’s where we should be, it’s where we have to be, and it’s where we want to be,” he said.

“I think Wednesday shows that we have what it takes to get out of League I and establish ourselves as a Championship club, and as a player, it certainly whetted my appetite for big occasions.

“It was my first time at St James’ Park and it was a brilliant experience to play at a venue like that, where the atmosphere is first class.

“If we can get up to the Championship next season we might not be playing Newcastle, because I think they’ll get back into the Premier League, but there are plenty of other big clubs to take on, and that prospect is a big incentive for us.

“But there are also some good teams in League I, and while we’ve had a decent start, Bristol aside, there’s a long way to go and a lot of hard work ahead.”