Chris Davies could finally start ‘reliable’ Birmingham City player at Charlton
Birmingham City boss Chris Davies has some selection dilemmas to ponder before taking his team to Charlton
Birmingham City reporter for BirminghamLive and the Birmingham Mail
Alfons Sampsted has catapulted himself into contention for a starting place at Charlton Athletic by playing a starring role as a substitute in Birmingham City’s 1-0 win over Huddersfield.
The Iceland international played his part in Alfie May’s winning goal and set up another gilt-edged chance for Jay Stansfield in the liveliest of his eight substitute appearances to date. Sampsted could be worth a start against Charlton.
It would be harsh on Taylor Gardner-Hickman who has performed well at right-back while Ethan Laird has been out injured and was only substituted because he was on a booking. Manager Chris Davies wasn’t prepared to take a risk.
“Taylor was obviously on a yellow card and I just wanted to be careful with that because it was a wet and slippery pitch,” said the Blues manager. “One little mistake and he would have been off so Alfons came on.”
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But no one can deny Sampsted grasped his chance with both hands. He offered the width and energy Davies demands from his right-back and showed a coolness in the final third to pick out a teammate.
Davies continued: “He has been coming on really well. It’s not easy to be a substitute and come into a game but he’s tactically good, an intelligent player who gets up and down the line well, and he’s got quality as well.”
Then Davies dropped the buzzword which is almost his seal of approval. “Reliable, he’s a reliable player, so I was pleased with his performance.”
Sampsted has been relied on by Bodø/Glimt and FC Twente, who finished third in the Eredivisie last season, not to mention his 26 international caps. He certainly has the greatest pedigree of Blues’ three options at right-back. Sampsted has waited long enough.