Maik Taylor injury puts Birmingham City in a pickle for Aston Villa Carling Cup quarter-final
Nov 18 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail
Birmingham City are sweating on having Maik Taylor fit and available for the big Carling Cup quarter-final against Villa.
The goalkeeper has been sidelined due to a shoulder problem for the past two weeks and it could be another ten days or so before he returns.
Although Blues have Colin Doyle as back-up, he is cup-tied and would not be able to feature in the squad for the Villa tie on December 1.
And with Jack Butland still recovering from surgery on his hand, there is a possibility Blues could go into the game with just Ben Foster to call on from the ranks of their pro goalkeepers.
Taylor has figured in the three previous rounds instead of Foster as Alex McLeish has rested certain players in the competition.
And Taylor was a penalty shoot-out hero as Blues squeezed past Brentford.
Because of the magnitude of the tie – with a semi-final place at stake, let alone the local rivalry – McLeish is likely to pick his strongest available team.
On that assumption, Taylor would be then facing a race against time to be fit for a spot among the substitutes.
