Jay Stansfield in harsh admission as Keshi Anderson unveils Birmingham City 'headache'

Stansfield and Anderson were Blues’ dynamic duo on Monday evening to secure a seventh successive victory and three points to clinch top spot in League One before Christmas.

An outstanding deep whipped cross from Anderson was nodded in at the far post by Stansfield to break the deadlock after a frustrating 79 minutes. Birmingham weren’t at the races for much of the encounter as Crawley sat deep and disrupted their rhythm for large stretches, so Stansfield’s header came as a great relief.

Blues’ goalscorer missed three earlier chances, two of which were well below his standard. A powerful half-volley into the floor forced a wonderful save from Crawley’s Jojo Wollacott in the first period, but Stansfield failed to convert from a clever Alfie May flick-on earlier in the half. The striker then missed the ball entirely when it was squared to him in the area after the break.

“You can see the gaffer’s reaction, how much it means to him and all our fans,” Stansfield told Sky Sports post-match.

“It’s great to come here on a difficult night and get three points. Tonight was a tough night for me - I wasn’t at my best - but to walk away with a goal and three points, keeping the scoring continuing, we’re happy,” Stansfield continued, in a rather self-critical tone.

Anderson, one of Birmingham’s most impressive players so far this season, is thriving under Davies and is eager to play as often as possible. The winger has to be careful with all the matches coming up in quick succession, though, given his prior struggles with injuries.

“Everybody knows at this time of year we get games coming thick and fast,” Anderson admitted, also to Sky Sports.

“We have a big enough squad, we have enough quality in the squad and the manager has a headache. It’s always a good thing when you have a lot of talent at your disposal.

“With that, we want to stay fresh at the bit. We don’t want to pick up any injuries so I imagine rotation is key. As I say, we’re lucky our squad depth will get us through this period.”