Chris Davies Opens Up On Hard Decision And Empathy For Birmingham City Stars

Chris Davies can’t keep all of his Birmingham City players happy this week – and three will be absolutely gutted.

In addition to Blues’ existing injured players, Davies will have to whittle his 21 available players down to 18.

Davies’ first choice starting XI has become apparent in the last two months but there is a question mark over whether Willum Willumsson will keep his place.

With four goals in his last four games, Alfie May is in better form than Willumsson and making himself difficult for Davies to ignore.

“It’s hard to have a player like Alfie and not play him in certain games,” admits Davies. “When I look at team selection, I think about the start of the game, I think about the opposition, I think about what it’s going to look like at the end of the game.

“In this game there’s 120 minutes possibly as well – three of the last six finals have gone to that.

“Alfie has been very, very good and the goals have come back recently. I know that in big occasions Alfie will step up.”

Taylor Gardner-Hickman is another option to Davies after marking his return from injury with the goal that sent Blues up on Tuesday. Gardner-Hickman also assisted May’s opener in their first meeting with Peterborough this week.

Davies said: “He was able to deliver that kind of performance after being out for so long so that shows what kind of an athlete he is.

“That’s why I threw him back in, because I was pretty convinced by his physicality. Taylor is good to go.”

Chris Davies’s runaway League One leaders face Peterborough United on Sunday, April 13 in the final of the Vertu Trophy, looking to clinch the first past of a double after a season of incredible success.

The Blues boss has been ruthless in his decision making at times this season but he will have empathy for those who aren’t selected on Sunday.

Only a few of Blues’ players have already played at Wembley – even 36-year-old striker Lukas Jutkiewicz hasn’t – so everyone is desperate to make the team sheet.

“Some will always be disappointed, that’s just the way it is and I’ve had that all season. I approach it like every other game,” added Davies.

“Sometimes picking the squad can actually be more difficult than picking the team because I’ve got a good idea of the team that should play but there might be a few that don’t even get on the bench, and that’s hard for a player.

“They are the decisions that I have to make and they understand that.

“It isn’t nice. I think it’s important as a leader and manager to have empathy for the players, because they are human beings and the opportunity to play at Wembley is very special for all of them.

“I never veer too far away from my job which is to win games of football for this club and put a team and squad out there to win games of football for this club, and that’s what I will do.”