Cotterill: It’s a big game for Blues – and Sunderland
STRUGGLING BIRMINGHAM CITY OUT TO STOP THE ROT IN CRUNCH CLASH AT SUNDERLAND
Birmingham City come north to the Stadium of Light tomorrow, facing a huge test in their battle to climb off the foot of the Sky Bet Championship.
Steve Cotterill’s Blues slipped to bottom spot after losing 2-1 at home to QPR, while Sunderland escaped the drop zone thanks to a first home victory of 2017.
Victory over the Black Cats would lift Birmingham back above the Red and Whites, who are only two points better off.
Asked if tomorrow’s match was a six-pointer, one-time Sunderland assistant boss Cotterill said: “Well, I’ve never had six points for winning a game anyway so I’m not quite sure about that.
“But obviously it’s a big game because of the positions of both clubs and the size of both clubs.
“It could have been so different for us going up there, when I look back to where we were at 15 minutes from time last week.
“Fifteen minutes later and it’s in the situation it is in now. We know it’s a big game, but it’s a big game for them as well.”
Birmingham are on a poor run, with just one win and a draw from the last eight matches. This month, they have lost three out of three, all by a single goal.
Cotterill, though, saw some positives for his goalshy team in the QPR setback.
“I think there has been positives in every game,” the Blues manager said.
“What happens is we haven’t shown enough of that positivity for the duration of the game. There has only been spells of it.
“It’s almost when they pressure is off them a little bit, and I understand that.
“Last week, we definitely deserved to win the game, especially with our second-half performance.
“In the first half, there was nothing in it other than a wide free-kick, that for the first time we weren’t quite set up or organised right.
“We found ourselves getting overloaded at the back post and that’s the only thing.
“I’ve watched the games before I came here and they’ve been like that – a bit patchy in games.
“I think that is when they need to stay strong and with each other. They know that I am with them and so are the staff, all the way.
“No matter what, we have to stick together through this. Last week, they showed great character. They lost the game but played better in the second half – they showed great character and great mental strength.
“I think we would have got a winner had there been five or ten minutes more.”
Midfielder David Davis will be given a fitness test ahead of the Sunderland game.
He limped off with an ankle problem last week, but returned to training yesterday.