Town keeper Dean Gerken has hailed the impact of midfielder Anthony Wordsworth, who impressed in the Blues’ back-back-victories against fellow play-off contenders Brighton and Derby, his first league starts of the campaign.
The pair go back a long way, to their time together at Colchester United, and Wordsworth’s impressive displays standing in for the injured Cole Skuse are no surprise to Gerken.
He said: "It was a big loss being without Cole but I’ve known for years what Woody is capable of doing.
"I never doubted that he could come in and do a job. He got the opportunity, grabbed it and I’m over the moon for him.
"He’s got everything going for him — he’s tall, athletic, he’s great on the ball and he’s got that laid-back way where he doesn’t seem to get flustered, a bit like Cole really. You need that in the team and Woody did a great job filling in for Cole.”
Wordsworth has a reputation for his set-piece delivery but Gerken revealed he keeps as far away as possible from him in training when freekicks are on the agenda.
He added: "I don’t bother with all that. I don’t want any banter from him if he starts scoring against me. He’s a good footballer, great at set-pieces and a real asset to the team.”