More Blues for Johnson

Birmingham skipper Damien Johnson has suffered more injury misery and will be out of action for up to a month following another hamstring setback.

The Northern Ireland international had just returned to fitness after missing the opening six weeks of the campaign with a hamstring problem suffered in a pre-season friendly at Walsall.

But a scan has revealed he tore the other hamstring during Monday's reserve team outing with West Ham, with Blues boss Steve Bruce confirming: "Unfortunately Jonty has done his hamstring again. Thankfully, if that is the right word, it is the other one and not the one which he picked up at Walsall pre-season."

He added: "It's terrible for him. He had just got back to fitness and had played his first 90 minutes for nearly six months against Blackburn Rovers in the Carling Cup last week.

"He is unfortunately going through one of those stages, which he's never suffered with before in his career, in having one knock-back after the other.

"This kind of thing happens in football. Jonty has got to be strong enough to cope - and I'm sure he will be. Then he's got to come back in another month's time and start all over again.

"He's a tough cookie and, at £50,000, has to be one of the best value-for-money signings I've ever made."

Bruce added: "The re-occurring injury as a footballer is your worst nightmare especially when its a muscle injury. Kicks, bangs, knocks, cuts, bruises are nothing.

"I've seen Jonty play through all sorts of pain, when his jaw has been hanging off, for example. Talk about John Terry playing on with pain - Jonty is as tough as they come.

"It's a shame because he would have been very important to us with the stage of the season we've got ahead. He would have been ready and willing to take part and do his bit."