Chris Davies facing huge Birmingham City concern after Jay Stansfield news | OneFootball

Jay Stansfield's injury is a massive concern for Birmingham City.

Despite making it to Wembley for the first time in 14 years, Birmingham City's triumph over Bradford City in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night was overshadowed by the loss of Jay Stansfield, who was stretchered off.

The Blues secured a narrow 2-1 victory over their League Two opponents, who gave a performance to be proud of, falling just short on the night. Stansfield's goal in first-half stoppage time was cancelled out by Bobby Pointon, before Lyndon Dykes' powerful header sent the Midlands club to the home of football.

However, the win was overshadowed after Stansfield was sent crashing to the turf by Bantams defender Romoney Crichlow inside the box. Referee Scott Oldham didn't see anything that warranted a penalty for the Blues, and the resulting passage of play led to Bradford's equaliser.

The ex-Fulham star was withdrawn from the pitch via a stretcher, following the collision with Crichlow. Birmingham boss Chris Davies described Stansfield's injury as a "huge concern", with the attacker currently tied in the League One golden boot race with Richard Kone, who is also injured.

Whilst it's always horrible to see a player stretchered off the pitch, this development would've certainly caught the attention of Wycombe Wanderers and Wrexham, as the race for promotion heats up in League One.

Stansfield injury a massive blow for Birmingham City

Whilst Tuesday night was ultimately a time to celebrate for Bluenoses, there would certainly have been some anguish creeping after those celebrations died down. The League One leaders have lost their prized asset in a crucial part of the season, which is an unthinkably large blow for Davies.

It's important to recognise that the team isn't hinging on Stansfield to secure results and score all of their goals. He's certainly been the focal point of their attack this season though, with an excellent 16 goals in 23 matches, and four more coming in the EFL Trophy.

Now, it seems like Birmingham will be without their £20m forward for part of the run in, following Tuesday night's incident. There are yet to be any indications of the severity of the damage, but Davies labelled what happened as a "huge concern."

Despite Birmingham's far superior quality to the rest of League One, losing their talisman will be a massive blow at this stage of the season. With a crucial game against Wycombe less than two weeks away, the Blues will be hopeful that his absence doesn't impact their title charge.

Wycombe and Wrexham dealt a boost by Stansfield development

Both of Birmingham's nearest rivals, Wycombe and Wrexham, were in league action last night. Wanderers beat Bristol Rovers 2-0, whilst the Red Dragons fell to a 2-1 home defeat to Leyton Orient. However, the developments at St Andrews @ Knighthead Park would've certainly caught the eye of supporters from both teams, as we enter a crucial stage of the season.

Wycombe themselves were dealt a huge blow last month when Kone sustained an injury in training, but the joint-top-scorer was seen on the grass at Adams Park before the match on Tuesday, and Mike Dodds later confirmed that the Ivorian was back in training. With the Chairboys talisman on the brink of a return, and Birmingham's looking set for a stint on the sidelines, this could have big implications on the unfolding title race.

Despite both clubs being quite far behind Birmingham, they will be hoping that the absence of Stansfield can be used as a boost to narrow the gap to the high-flying Blues. Of course, there's no guarantee that the loss of the former Exeter City man will have a negative impact on results, but with Wycombe facing the Blues next Saturday, that's one huge threat they might not have to worry about.

Wrexham have already played Birmingham twice, but Phil Parkinson's side will also be hoping that they can capitalise on Stansfield's expected absence by picking up as many points as they can, whilst the Blues struggle without their main man up top. Whilst nothing is guaranteed, the news from the Midlands last night could certainly be a boost for both of the promotion-hopefuls.