Clinton targets dozen Premiership goals

Ireland international Clinton Morrison is eyeing a 12-goal target after recovering from an injury-hit start to the campaign as he looks to justify the faith shown in him by Birmingham manager Steve Bruce.

Morrison came to St Andrews in the summer of 2002. He has since seen the player who went to Crystal Palace in part exchange – Andrew Johnson – score a hatful of goals for the Eagles.

Meanwhile Ireland striker Morrison had seven months out of action with a shoulder problem and this season required a cartilage operation.

But Morrison has shown his true capabilities since returning to the side and will be looking to score for the fourth successive match against Middlesbrough on St Stephen's Day.

Morrison said: “People compare what myself and Andy Johnson have done and that doesn’t bother me.

“I know that if I play football and I am on top of my game then I will get chances and score goals. Fair play to Andy. He is doing well at my old club and if he keeps them up, then fair play to him because I’ve still got a soft spot for Palace.

“But I am confident that I can score goals and if we keep going and playing like we have in the last couple of games we will start climbing the table.

“I just want to hit double figures this season. I am not going to set targets but if I can hit double figures, considering I missed something like 13 games, then I’ll be happy.

“The manager has always had faith in me, at Palace and at Birmingham, and hopefully I can repay him now by continuing to put the ball in the net.”

Morrison’s partnership with Emile Heskey, plus the creativity of midfielder David Dunn, has given Blues a potency that was lacking in the early part of the campaign.

He said: “Emile is a joy to play with. He is a confidence player and he is full of confidence at the moment and playing well.

“It is good that we are playing together because, until I came back from the knee operation, we’d done that only once.

“I know what his strengths are. He’s going to win headers, get on the ball and use it, and it’s up to me to read him.

“The more time we play together and train together, the better the partnership can become and we can help to first get Blues out of trouble and then move up the table.”

Bruce has to decide whether to keep faith with an unchanged side for a third successive match after the derby wins over Aston Villa and West Brom.