Marc Leonard reveals hidden strength of Chris Davies and Birmingham City lesson
Marc Leonard was speaking after Birmingham City's victory over Stevenage in the Vertu Trophy
Chris Davies delivered a rousing speech before Birmingham City dumped Stevenage out of the Vertu Trophy to move one step closer to Wembley.
Jay Stansfield netted the only goal of the game to put Blues into the semi-finals after latching onto a perfect pass from Marc Leonard. Blues are on course to replicate Barry Fry’s double winners of 1994/95 with a League One and EFL Trophy double.
The double is very much a target for Blues. Leonard, who has started all six of Blues’ Vertu Trophy matches to date, has revealed Davies gave his players an emotive pep talk before the Stevenage match.
Leonard said: “In house we’re quietly setting goals and we’re on our way to achieving those. We had a good speech from the manager before the game about how important it is at the moment and how positive we need to remain.
“He does it pre-match and post-match. It’s one of his strengths as a manager, everybody wants to play for him. Obviously you have people who don’t play but everybody is there and wants to play for the manager.”
Leonard was an ever-present in League One last season for Northampton but the summer signing has played a bit-part role for Blues due to the excellence of Paik Seung-ho and Tomoki Iwata. Taylor Gardner-Hickman has also impressed in midfield to keep Leonard sidelined on occasions.
The 23-year-old was left out on Saturday as Blues defeated Rotherham United, but he responded in the right way to play a key role at Stevenage.
“I’ve always stayed ready, I’ve always been professional,” he said. “I have been disappointed in reality, but you’ve got to use it as fuel. As a footballer that’s part and parcel of the game. We’ve got such an amazing squad. I had a little bit of disappointment on the weekend but I remained positive and was able to come in and do a job.”
For someone who is used to playing every week, this season has been a learning curve for Leonard. He believes he will be better for it in the long run.
“The last couple of seasons I pretty much learned a lot on the job but this year it’s been a lot more coaching, a lot more detailed. Although the game time hasn’t necessarily been there as much, I’ve definitely improved as a player and long may it continue.”