Cameron Jerome and Christian Benitez delight Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish

Mar 11 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

ALEX McLeish has urged Birmingham City to keep playing the right way that brings out the best in Cameron Jerome and Christian Benitez.

The forward pair returned to form and were devastating at Portsmouth, rekindling an understanding that set Blues rolling on their 15-game unbeaten run.

Jerome scored twice, taking his tally to seven for the season, and should have had a hat-trick.

Benitez assisted on both goals and should have scored himself when being put clean through by a Jerome flick-on.

“Cameron was on fire in the box; his touch, he was getting things on target, he was unlucky not to get a third,” said McLeish.

“When we can play the ball fast and sharp like that, and it’s a race between Cameron and the defender to get to it, then he’s a good finisher.

“Other parts of the game we don’t quite score enough: that’s on crossed balls, getting on the end of things, headers. But when we play through the middle like that, and we can get Cameron or Chucho in space, we make chances.

“James McFadden as well, you saw the space he relished when he came on.

“We are a team that’s defended well from the front this season.

“Perhaps we have asked more of our strikers from the defensive point of view than other clubs who are, maybe, used to playing in the league and have developed a wee bit more than us and have more experience than us.

“And that’s perhaps why our strikers have not scored more goals. But it’s also about getting the right supply to them.