Birmingham City banging in the goals - but West Brom can take some heart into clash
Birmingham City have hit their straps in front of goal of late - but there is one factor that gives Albion heart on Wednesday night.
Chris Davies locks horns with fellow former Tottenham coach Ryan Mason at The Hawthorns with the lowly hosts desperate to give their season a kickstart.
Ninth-placed Blues, back in the Championship after landing the League One title, have shot up the standings of late after three straight four-goal hauls at St Andrew's.
Portsmouth, Millwall and Norwich have been swept aside this month as strike pair Jay Stansfield and Marvin Ducksch each fired a brace in Saturday's 4-1 drubbing off the Canaries.
The story has been a little different on the Blues' travels, however.
Davies' side have won just two of their eight fixtures away from the second city and just one - in Preston in October - since the first attempt in the middle of August at Blackburn.
Defeats have been regular away from St Andrew's, including the last two away to Middlesbrough and Bristol City, and it is a record Wednesday's visitors will need to address are they to make a strong play for the top six this term.
Blues' home record of five wins from eight is the second strongest in the division - after Coventry, where Albion surrendered a two-goal lead to lose on Saturday. The away form is the fourth-poorest after Sheffield Wednesday, Watford and Portsmouth.
Mason's Baggies have only managed three wins on their travels but have home comforts, where they have won two from three and are unbeaten in four, in midweek.
For high-profile German summer signing Ducksch Saturday's double were his first goals for Blues as Stansfield took his tally to nine.
Boss Davies said: “We’ve got him going and fitter. He’s a player that will always create chances for other people around him via his link up play and his intelligence but he’s a striker and all strikers want to score goals.
“His blindside position for the first goal was really good and just arriving and sensing for the second goal.”
Blues are missing Paik Seung-ho (shoulder), Willum Willumsson (unspecified), Ethan Laird (hamstring), Lee Buchanan (knee) and Scott Wright (knee).
