Mikael Forssell prepared for the relegation battle ahead

Mar 12 2008 By Colin Tattum

MIKAEL Forssell has predicted that the battle to avoid relegation is not going to be for the faint-hearted.

And it's the teams who handle setbacks and maintain strength of character that are likely to triumph.

"There is some momentum gathering," said Forssell, as Birmingham City are unbeaten in their last four matches. "But we still have to take every game one at a time. You can't look too far ahead and think about points you believe you should get from certain games.

"In the last ten games, you will get minor setbacks but we just have to stay focused and show we are a big enough team to cope with anything that comes our way."

The points total for survival in the past four seasons has been an average 34.5.

Blues have 26 points and could jump to 12th place with a victory at Portsmouth tonight, combined with a Middlesbrough defeat at Villa.

Forssell said: "This season 40 points will be enough and that would be great but for us it is about taking one game at a time.

"Some games like Derby at home and Reading at home we didn't get the results we wanted but then again we've pinched points from the bigger teams.

"We just need to try and take every point we can."