Birmingham’s “dangerous” ace has become as important as Stansfield

Birmingham City have now picked up four wins from four in December, with more victories obviously being eyed up by Chris Davies’ men as the tiring month goes on.

The Blues manager will also have to guard against his team running on empty, however, as four more games are on the agenda this month for the promotion hopefuls before January hurtles into view, which could lead to some lethargic legs in his camp.

Football is a team game after all, with various members of his squad shining bright in League One to date, but Jay Stansfield of course continues to stand out as one major key individual for the third tier giants.

Stansfield’s season so far

Many an outsider looking in would have been startled that Stansfield dropped down to the lower reaches of the EFL this summer, having made strides in the Fulham ranks up from the youth team before his departure.

Still, that loan connection Stansfield had with the Blues during their disastrous relegation clearly had an impact on him sensationally returning on a permanent deal, as the 22-year-old attacker continues to bamboozle defenders at the level for fun.

The constantly captivating forward would net this thunderbolt effort last time out to help his side keep up their flawless streak in the league, leading to widespread pandemonium in the away end at Barnsley.

Off the back of this outrageous strike, Stansfield is now up to nine goals from 12 League One contests, meaning he is way out ahead as the club’s top scorer in the lowly division.

He is even pipping the current third-tier golden boot holder in Alfie May, but away from the names near the top of the list, Keshi Anderson has proven himself to be a revelation for his side so far this season, after once joining as an unspectacular free transfer purchase.

Anderson’s importance this season

Well-known to fans of EFL football for spells at the likes of Swindon Town and Blackpool, the 29-year-old must feel like he’s finally found himself a home where he’s fully valued now at St. Andrew’s.

He would fire home 16 goals from 109 games at the County Ground as a tricky winger, but with players such as Stansfield and May stealing the limelight in the here and now, Anderson is still impressively managing to prove his worth to the cause as a worthwhile face down the left.

Looking at his numbers above, the experienced head has managed to fire home five goals in all competitions, alongside picking up six assists to play his role in Birmingham’s win count for the season going up and up.

His last strike for the side up against Exeter City in the EFL Trophy even saw Davies rightfully single him out for some deserved praise, labelling the 29-year-old as “quick” and “dangerous” as an asset down the channels for his promotion chasers.

Whilst Stansfield’s spellbinding performances in attack will obviously generate more headlines, Anderson will also be an important part of the jigsaw when games are finely poised towards the close of the season, with the former Blackpool man adept at tracking back well too with 4.8 duels won on average in the third tier.

There is also an explosiveness apparent in his game when burying chances, as Davies continues to use every part of his star-studded squad to ensure their promotion dreams do become a reality next year.