Kieft can’t wait for the big kick-off

BLUES midfielder Maikel Kieftenbeld “can’t wait” for the real business of the Championship to get underway.

The Dutchman scored a screamer in the 1-1 draw with Premier League side Brighton at St Andrew’s on Saturday.

But Kieftenbeld would have far preferred to save the scorcher for this weekend’s Championship opener against Norwich.

“I can’t wait to start the new season, because I don’t really like pre-season,” he said.

“It’s about getting fit. The games, they are there. But I want to play for the points and this week I can.”

Yves Bissouma smashed home a free-kick at the death to deny Blues a morale-boosting win over the Seagulls, but Kieftenbeld said Garry Monk and the players would take heart from so nearly beating a top-flight side.

“This pre-season we’re fit and we’ve show it against a good team like Brighton,” he said.

“That’s a really big positive and good for next week.”

It’s nearly six months since Monk replaced Steve Cotterill as Blues boss.

The former Swansea boss has got to know his players better after leading them through pre-season.

And the players have got to know the manager’s methods and demands.

Kieftenbeld believes the fans, who played such a crucial role in roaring their team to survival last season, have also bought into the Monk way.

“I think it’s clear to them as well,” the former Groningen man said. “It’s about the club being positive now.

“We are really working hard to keep it positive. We can’t wait to start the new season.”

Meanwhile, Blues were thought to have contacted Boaz Myhill, with the club rocked by a keeper crisis.

Connal Trueman is the only option in goal, with David Stockdale and Tomasz Kuszczak banished from the first team.

Trueman has filled the breach in pre-season. Yet the 22-yearold’s only competitive appearances to date were on loan at Solihull Moors last season.

Myhill had been identified as an option to lighten the load. But he has now re-signed for West Brom – a month after he was released by the club.