New Jay Stansfield update emerges as Birmingham City gear up for Wrexham | OneFootball

Blues' record signing is expected to feature in Friday's blockbuster encounter

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies has issued a fresh update on the fitness of Jay Stansfield ahead of Friday night's highly-anticipated clash with Wrexham at the Stok Cae Ras.

It has been a frustrating month or so for Blues, with the club enduring its worst run of form since the 40-year-old left his post as Tottenham Hotspur assistant to take the reins at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in what is his first full-time managerial role.

The West Midlands outfit's recent run has now stretched to one win in six games across all competitions, although Davies was seen running down the touchline in celebration on Tuesday night when Demarai Gray's close-range volley salvaged a point againt cash-strapped Sheffield Wednesday in the 99th minute.

In recent weeks, Blues have been forced to chop and change their starting lineup and substitutes' bench due to an array of factors, none more so than injuries, with it being revealed earlier in the week that versatile full-back Ethan Laird will be out of action for a considerable period after sustaining a major hamstring blow against Coventry City in the 3-0 away defeat last Saturday.

Stansfield has already suffered a minor injury this term, having suffered a blow to the ankle in an EFL Cup defeat to Port Vale in B9 on August 26th.

The 'poster boy' of the Knighthead rebuild then suffered a similar knock on Tuesday after initially scoring his third of the season against the Owls.

However, this time, it is nowhere near as significant and the England youth international is expected to be among the travelling contingent for Friday's 'Hollywood' showdown.

In the frustrating 2-2 encounter with Henrik Pedersen's resolute Wednesday side, Stansfield's 100th competitive appearance for the Second City club was one of contrasting fortunes, with his neat finish opening the scoring after nine minutes before being replaced 17 minutes from time by Lyndon Dykes after suffering another ankle blow after a challenge from left-back, Max Lowe.

Unsurprisingly, with fortune hardly shining down on Blues as far as the injury front is concerned of late, many supporters were left fearful that their top scorer could miss the final game ahead of the October international period, although Davies has subsequently quashed those doubts in his pre-match press conference.

“He’s got strapping on it (his ankle),” the Blues boss revealed. “A lot of them wear strapping on it, ones that have had previous ankle injuries. From my understanding he’s fine.

“He occasionally gets a kick on that one or the other one, but on this particular occasion I think he felt it would be better to come off and the physios checked him over.

“You can see from the way he scored, he’s still so dangerous and plays with so much energy. The ankle is fine from what I’ve heard," Davies added.

However, it remains to be seen if Bright Osayi-Samuel is available for selection after also sustaining a foot injury against the South Yorkshire side, which would leave Blues extremely light in terms of right-back options.

Jay Stansfield will hope to cause Wrexham further damage after League One exploits

There's no shying away from the fact that Davies' side have struggled for form of late, as well as creating an array of chances all season. However, with Stansfield available, there is always the chance of the club-record signing causing damage, as Wrexham discovered last season.

In front of a worldwide audience, the 22-year-old netted the first two goals of his permanent stint with the club in a 3-1 success over the Red Dragons last September, with the first an instinctive finish after Arthur Okonkwo could only parry an Alfie May shot into his path, before turning the game on its head with a smart header from a deep Alex Cochrane cross. Tomoki Iwata also scored his first for the club later on to secure a 3-1 win.

The return fixture in North Wales ended in a 1-1 draw as Dykes cancelled out Ollie Rathbone's early opener, with many expecting yet another frantic encounter between the two ambitious clubs.

It is, of course, a new-look Wrexham side with new signings such as Lewis O'Brien, Josh Windass and Kieffer Moore already making an impact following their summer moves.