Boga now up and running after slow start

JEREMIE Boga has revealed he put in the hard yards to earn his first start under Steve Cotterill at the weekend.

The Chelsea youngster marked his return to the team with his first Blues goal, a stunning strike in the 1-1 draw with Sheffield United.

Cotterill praised the quality of the finish and also expressed his pleasure at how the 20-year-old allayed his concerns which arose during the 6-1 defeat to Hull a couple of months ago.

Since then the senior squad have worked hard on their conditioning, including Boga, who having played just 50 minutes under Cotterill, lasted 87 at Bramall Lane.

The hope is his Birmingham career is now up and running, which is exactly what he has been doing a lot of recently.

“I think I needed a bit more fitness so I had to work a little bit harder than I usually do but it was for me, for the better(ment) of my play and for the team,” Boga said.

“Was it frustrating? Not so much, every player wants to play but, in my point of view, I was just training well, training hard and waiting for my chance and when my chance comes I made sure I was ready.

“The manager tells you what he wants, you have to make sure you produce it on the pitch and I think I did that.

“For me, it is a big confidence boost. To score my first goal for Birmingham and also for the team because, away from home, our second point is very important against a very good team.

“I think this can kick-start my season. I think this will be my reference game and I will just take on from this and see what happens next.”

Former Blues boss Harry Redknapp brought Boga to the club in the final week of the transfer window with the Ivory Coast international having already played in the Premier League for Chelsea.

He was thrust straight into the team as one of six debutants at Norwich, a sequence of half-a-dozen consecutive starts, the final one as Blues were dismantled at Hull.

The new Blues boss has brought him off the bench at various points but decided to deploy him in a more central attacking position against Sheffield United.