Dunn ready to return

Birmingham midfielder David Dunn is poised to return to action in next Monday’s reserve match against West Brom after seven months on the sidelines.

The former England Under-21 captain was given the green light to resume full training by a specialist last week and has been pencilled in for the game at The Hawthorns on September 26.

Dunn has been dogged by hamstring problems which relate to nerve problems in his back since his £5.5m (€8.1m) move from Blackburn in the summer of 2003 and he went under the knife again in February in a bid to finally end his nightmare.

City manager Steve Bruce is hoping that Dunn’s problems are finally behind him and hopes he can play a major part during the remainder of the season.

Bruce said: “The fact that Dunny is back and got the all clear to resume full training last week gave everyone a lift and a buzz. We are looking forward to his return.

“If you look at the statistics, regarding when he is in the team and when he is not in the team, then you will see exactly what a big player he is for us.

“All the Birmingham fans know how vital he is. In that first six months he was here, we were in the top six of the Premier League and played some of our best stuff since being promoted.

“He is a big, big player for us and it will be like having a new player when he returns. We need to have that bit of luck if we are going to be successful in hoping that Dunny, Emile Heskey, Mikael Forssell, Muzzy Izzet and Stan Lazaridis all stay physically fit.

“We are looking to see if Dunny can play on Monday week when we play West Brom in the reserves. He has got another week or so of serious training and we hope he will be ready after that. I don’t think he could be in better shape.”