Birmingham City injury claim rubbished as they march to League One title
Birmingham City slipped up at Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday night but remain perfectly placed to end the season with silverware
EFL pundit Jobi McAnuff wasn't having it when the idea that Birmingham City's defeat at Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday night would lead to a more sinister run of results and harm their title chances, amid their ongoing injury crisis.
Blues were beaten for the first time in 19 matches on Tuesday at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, despite taking the lead through summer signing Emil Hansson, and while second placed Wycombe Wanderers cashed in with a victory, they remain nine points behind Blues, who still have a game in hand.
Indeed Blues are still chasing record breaking points tallies come the end of the season and, while the Bolton defeat is hopefully nothing more than a blip that can be forgiven after such a remarkable run of results prior to it, McAnuff can't fathom a scenario where their lead is reduced further.
On the BBC's 72+ podcast, the idea that they could hit a lean patch as Chris Davies contends with a host of injuries to key players - including Ryan Allsop, Ethan Laird, Keshi Anderson, Lyndon Dykes and Scott Wright - was floated to pundit McAnuff. Could the League One title race be back on?
"No, is the short answer for me. I don't think this is a Leeds situation with past histories and the gap not being as big as it should be, given how good they've been and how dominant they've been this season," McAnuff told 72+. "Even with the injuries, you look through the squad and they've got more than enough depth and cover.
"You talk about Jay Stansfield - I think he was on the bench on Tuesday night, so he'll be back starting games sooner rather than later, but they've got so much quality and so much depth. That's what the financial muscle gives you.
"You will go through an injury crisis in the EFL at some point, and the bigger clubs, with the bigger squads and the bigger budgets, are generally the ones who are able to deal with that better.
"I definitely don't see that being an issue, or it shouldn't be an issue given the money they have spent to beef up that squad. It's the reason they've done it and I think they should be able to ride it out, no problem. I just can't see anything derailing what is a procession for Birmingham, really."