Birmingham City star leaps to defence of Carlos Costly

Mar 10 2009 by Andy Walker, Birmingham Mail

“There’s obviously people snapping at your heels on the sidelines and hoping to come in and take that shirt off you.

“All the strikers are different. Carlos is a tall lad, gangly, wins his fair share in the air and holds it up quite good as well.

‘‘If he gets a little bit more confidence in him and, if we can help him along, then he will show us what he can do.

“His English is getting better and we’ve got a few members in the squad who speak Spanish, so communication is not a problem.”

Costly, who remains goal-less after two starts and five substitute appearances for Blues, has started to attract attention for his trademark “drag-back” which had the Tilton Road End chanting his name on Saturday.

And Jerome admits that he’s even been caught out by Costly’s fancy footwork.

“He’s got his own little drag-back,’’ he said. ‘‘He’s sold me for one on the training ground. I’ve gone for it. It’s hard not to because he looks like he’s going to back-heel it then he just drags it away.

“It’s quite funny because he does it so slow.

“Fair play to him, if he’s got something that he is good at and it gets him past a defender then go for it.”