Jay Stansfield injury: Birmingham City's League One title race with Wrexham gets huge boost after update

Birmingham City’s hopes of winning automatic promotion from League One may hinge on the health of summer signing Jay Stansfield, who was taken to hospital on Tuesday evening following an injury he sustained during the 2-1 EFL Trophy win over Bradford City.

That win will send Birmingham to Wembley to contend the final, but there was widespread worry over Stansfield’s condition after the club record signing was stretchered off around the hour mark following a clumsy challenge by Bradford’s Romoney Critchlow.

Stansfield cried out in pain after falling awkwardly on his knee and received nearly eight minutes of on-field treatment before being taken off wearing an oxygen mask. The striker was taken to hospital by ambulance, with manager Chris Davies describing the injury as “a huge concern” ahead of scans to determine the extent of the damage.

On Thursday, the club issued an update on Stansfield’s condition, and it should offer a significant boost to Blues fans who are hoping that the 22-year-old will be able to play a part in the run-in.

How long will Stansfield be injured for?

The club announced that “scans have since revealed no indication of bone or ligament damage to the affected area”, suggesting that injury is not as bad as first feared.

Birmingham have not yet confirmed the exact nature of extent of the problem, saying that Stansfield “will continue to be assessed by the club's medical staff in the coming days”.

No timeline has been set for his return and it isn’t clear when he could next feature for the club, who play Reading away on Saturday in an early kick-off as they look to continue their push for the League One title. The Blues are currently six points clear of second-placed Wycombe Wanderers and 11 points ahead of Wrexham in third. Birmingham also have two games in hand on both teams.

If Stansfield is able to return sooner rather than later, that will represent a significant boost to their chances of maintaining their lead at the top of the table. Stansfield, who was signed from Fulham for an initial £15m in the summer, has scored 16 goals in 23 league games already this season, making him the league’s joint top-scorer alongside Wycombe’s Richard Kone.

Davies on Stansfield’s ‘bad fall’

Talking to the media after the match against Bradford, a worried Davies told reporters that although he didn’t expect ligament damage, there had still been significant cause for concern.

“I don’t think it was [ligament damage], it was the impact of the leg. It’s the severity of the impact they’re concerned about as the guy’s landed on the bone, so we’ll have to see. He was in a lot of pain. To get stretchered off like that is obviously a huge concern. Hopefully within the next few hours we’ll get the results that are more definitive.”

Those results have now ruled out both a break and ligament damage, which implies that Stansfield’s lay-off may not be too long, although the club have not yet offered any further information regarding his recovery.

In other news, Davies has described reaching the final of the EFL Trophy, which will be contested against either Wrexham or Peterborough United at Wembley on Sunday 13 April, as the “pinnacle” of his career so far.