Returning Players Boost Blues Chances At Wigan

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish will have a welcome boost ahead of the game with Wigan this weekend as he gets news of at least six players being back and available for selection.

Blues crashed out of the FA Cup last weekend with a depleted squad, eight first teamers were missing for the kick off and they lost two more ( Barry Ferguson and Martin Jiranek) during the clash which City lost 3-2.

But things look better for Blues ahead of the Wigan trip. Stephen Carr, Roger Johnson, Obafemi Martins, Craig Gardner, Ferguson and Jiranek have all been training this week and all receive a clean bill of health for the six-pointer.

McLeish said to the Press Association: 'We had a right few missing last week and, if they had played, there could have been a danger of them incurring muscle injuries and being out for the next month or even longer.

'It was good for them to get a regeneration of the batteries and also to get some much needed treatment.

'Johnson, Martins, Ferguson, Carr, Jiranek all trained today and were declared fit by the medical staff".

But doubts still remain over whether Nikola Zigic, Lee Bowyer, David Bentley and Keith Fahey will be available.

McLeish added: 'Zigic, Fahey, Bowyer, Bentley did some separate work with the physios so they are the doubts.'

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