Blues' boss point a game challenge

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish has challenged his team to average at least a point a game between now and the end of the season.

With 10 games left to go, Blues currently sit eighth in the Premier League on 43 points following Tuesday's 2-1 win over Portsmouth.

The manager this week talked down his side's chances of reaching the Europa League in their first season back in the top flight, but a further 10 points would see them equal the 53-point tally which was enough to secure seventh place and European football for Fulham last season.

Only the top six are currently guaranteed European football this season, yet should one of them win the FA Cup another spot would open up in the Europa League for the top-flight's seventh-placed team.

McLeish said: "With each victory you get, you set new targets. A point a game would be the least we would want. I'm not saying we would get more, or less than that.

"We have got some very, very difficult games coming up. Everton, Liverpool, Arsenal at home, away to places like Blackburn, Manchester City, Sunderland.

"So there's some fantastic challenges ahead for us, some really tough games, and it's up to these guys to keep driving on to see how many points we end up with."

But the manager has been left rueing Stuart Parnaby's rotten luck, after the right-back was forced off with an ankle injury against Portsmouth on his return from niggling groin and back problems.

McLeish said: "I'm really gutted for Stuart. He's felt as good as he has done the whole season the past couple of weeks.

"This occasion it was a bang on his ankle, an impact injury, not a back, groin or other muscle strain. I hope he recovers quickly because he's looking back to fitness."