Birmingham City: Why Robin Shroot is living the dream at St Andrew's
During an important and tiresome Championship promotion campaign for Birmingham City, it’s refreshing to hear one voice that is insistent on just simply having fun.
Robin Shroot may be well down Alex McLeish’s pecking order when it comes to calling on resources for his side’s remaining 14 games but the rookie is certainly no fly-on-the-wall.
Having been thrown in at the deep end for his Birmingham debut during the FA Cup third-round tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers last month, the chances of Shroot reappearing this season are very slim.
However in no way will that dampen the enthusiasm of a 20-year-old who has come from the depths of non-League.
On Tuesday, behind closed doors at the club’s Wast Hills training ground, Shroot played in a Birmingham XI made up of former or current senior international footballers apart from himself and Gary McSheffrey, although Franck Queudrue only lays claim to a France B cap.
Shroot’s take on the friendly fixture against Chesterfield? “We went out there and just had fun really.”
Curling in a well-taken effort to open the scoring in a 4-1 victory, while playing just off lone striker Carlos Costly, certainly sounds like fun.
Shroot is like the proverbial kid in a sweet-shop, wide-eyed and willing to gobble up every nugget of information that comes his way from McLeish and his back-room staff.
