Roy Aitken tells Birmingham City to be confident at Wigan Athletic

Apr 3 2008

ROY Aitken said Birmingham City should not go to Wigan Athletic with any trepidation.

"I think we've picked up more points away from home than the teams around us at the bottom of the division," noted the joint first-team coach, who enthused about Blues' players particular traits at present.

"It will be a tough match. But I don't think it will be any different to Reading, West Ham, games like that.

"They are a physically strong side and I think it's down to us on the day to have the players that are willing to play to our strengths and make sure we're hard to play against, and then I think we've got that extra quality in the final third.

"If the teams are evenly matched it will come down to mental strength and that little extra bit of quality on the day.

"You'll be looking for your match-winners and Mauro Zarate showed last week how important he is.

"He's now become stronger and getting a better game awareness of what we want him to do.

"Gary McSheffrey, I was pleased for him last weekend, the fact he makes one and scores one and was effective.

"Mikael Forssell's always a threat, so there's a nice balance about the group in the forward areas. Jonty and Fabrice Muamba are solid in the middle, they are really commanding that central area."