Kenny’s lament as Blues pile on agony for desperate Dons

BIRMINGHAM skipper Kenny Cunningham has revealed his sadness at the way his former club Wimbledon are being asset-stripped because of their dire financial problems.

Cunningham admitted he had "mixed emotions" after helping Birmingham overcome a battling Dons side at St Andrews to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in six years.

In the build-up to the game Wimbledon, who are still in administration, had been forced to sell two more of their best players - Nigel Reo-Coker and Adam Nowland - to West Ham.

But their remaining crop of youngsters still showed their potential and Blues manager Steve Bruce admitted they were worthy of a replay.

Republic of Ireland skipper Cunningham, who spent seven years with Wimbledon, said: "I am delighted to be in the next round of the cup but I feel a little bit for the Wimbledon players.

"After what had happened to them last week, they still played exciting football and were very positive. Our goal was against the run of play and they had some good chances.

"It is sad for me what is happening at the club but for the manager (Stuart Murdoch) and the players it must be soul-destroying.

"They've got a bunch of good young talented players and to see them leave one by one must be very disappointing and hard to swallow. To lose people of the calibre of Reo-Coker and Nowland must be difficult to take.

"If they could keep those players together, and add in one or two experienced people, they could easily be mid-table in the First Division.

"It will take a lot from them to get out of relegation trouble this season but hopefully they will put down some roots at Milton Keynes and come back," he said.

Blues produced a shadow of the performance that had earned them a goalless draw at Chelsea the previous week with a goal from Bryan Hughes settling the issue.

Cunningham said: "We faced a different kind of pressure to when we faced Chelsea and were the underdogs and had nothing to lose.

"It was the other way around on Saturday. We were strong favourites and maybe that does not sit too well on our shoulders.

"We like to be underdogs but it is something we have to learn to deal with, being the ones expected to win.

"That's why the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea deserve credit because they have to take that tag around with them every week and cope with it. The Wimbledon game gave us a taste of what they go through."

Blues are still hopeful of signing Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt and they are prepared to break their pay structure to land the player after tabling a £5.5million bid.

Sources at St Andrews are adamant that wage demands will not scupper their chances of attracting top players to the club.

Midfielder Robbie Savage said: "If we can get Nicky Butt, it will give everyone a lift. To play in the same team as him would be brilliant.

"I was in the youth team with him at United and hopefully we can play together again at Birmingham."