Bruce: Blues relying on Dunn

Steve Bruce believes David Dunn can have a massive role to play for Birmingham in their battle to survive in the Premiership, if he can stay fit.

Dunn started his first game for five weeks after recovering from his latest setback – a calf injury – against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

He operated effectively off the lone out-and-out striker, Emile Heskey, before being withdrawn as a precaution by Bruce just before the hour mark.

Bruce said: “If you look at the statistics they show that we have played better when David Dunn has been in the side and firing on all cylinders.

“Cast your mind back to his first-half season here when he was fit and we were in the top five or six up until around Christmas time, when he got injured.

“Since then Dunny has had an horrendous time with injuries and completed only a handful of 90 minutes in the past two years.

“He has come back from his back problem but has picked up other injury niggles, which happen when you have been out of action for so long.

“But he is a very special player when he is fit and he has shown glimpses of it this season when available. Now we hope he can stay fit for the rest of the season.

“I think it is going to be vital to us that Dunny stays fit for the remainder of the season. He can make a big difference.”

Bruce defended his decision to substitute Dunn at the Riverside Stadium, a decision greeted with derision by some of Blues’ away supporters.

He said: “That was the first time has start a game for a month since his calf injury. He has not played a lot of football during the past couple of years and you have to be careful.

“You have to make sure you don’t push them too much, otherwise they could break down again.

"That’s what happened with Muzzy Izzet when he came back from his calf problem against Sunderland and he will be out for around three weeks in total.

“Players need time to get back into things when they have only had six weeks off in the summer from the day-to-day routine, so imagine what is like when you’ve been out for a lot longer.”