Blues midfielder Teddy Bishop is delighted to be playing again regularly and hopes he is over his injury problems, having started back-to-back games for the first time since October and November 2016 during the last week.
Having enjoyed a brilliant breakthrough season in 2014/15 as an 18-year-old, Bishop, now 22, endured three frustrating campaigns due to injuries.
But he has trained throughout Paul Lambert’s time as Blues boss and has been looking more and more his old self in recent matches and played 92 minutes of Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Stoke before being replaced in injury time, having only ever played one full game - at home to Blackpool in April 2015 - for the Town first team.
"I’m just so pleased to be back out there playing,” Bishop said. "It has been a long time since I have played back to back games and I feel good, so I just want to keep on playing and being out there.
"It was a milestone for me to play almost 90 minutes. I knew it was going to come and I just have to keep working hard and training. I have trained every day.
"I just wanted to get the ball and drive forward, which is what I did. To do that you need confidence and the more you play, the more confidence you have to do that.
"It has been a tough few years for me but I have broken the back of it now and hopefully I can continue to play games, and start winning games too.”
Bishop’s return to fitness has seen the Blues reward him with a new deal which runs to 2021 plus an option for a further season.
"The new contract is big for me,” the Cambridge-born midfielder continued. "It gives me that security and I’m grateful for the club.
"It was difficult when I was out of the team but now I can just look forward and help the team.”
Reflecting on Saturday’s draw in which Will Keane equalised for the Blues moments after Bishop had been subbed, he added: "We kept playing right to the end. The manager had said their goal had come against the run of play so we should just keep playing for the full 90 minutes and the chances would come.
"The diamond suits me. It's tough work but when we have the ball we benefit from it.”
Asked whether relegation to League One for the bottom-of-the-table Blues is now an inevitability, Bishop said: "We have to win games but we know that. Everyone wrote us off this week yet we have had two draws, two good performances and two good points, so we can do things.
"It is a tough task everyone knows that and we have to win games and we can do that. We will keep fighting, that’s all we can do.
"We are not looking to next season. We are focusing on this season. The backroom staff might have different ideas but all the players and staff are just looking at getting out of this mess.”
He continued: "We all still believe. The manager still believes so I don't see why we can't do it.
"It is now nine points and a good couple of weeks and you never know.
"We have a good captain who keeps everyone together. We have a good bunch of lads and no one has let their heads go down. We have fought for each other.”
Stoke full-back Tom Edwards was gutted that he and his team-mates surrendered the lead away so late in the game.
"We played very well for 90 minutes so to concede in the last minute was hard to take. It was quite upsetting,” he said.
"We created a lot of chances. Tom Ince in particular created good chances with his crosses and Sam Vokes too had chances. I’m sure Sam will get his first goal soon.
"We need to take those chances and stop conceding. We know we have the players to score it is just a case of being clinical and make sure we put them to bed.
"Our main thing at the moment is to keep clean sheets, so to concede so late on was disappointing. We know if we don’t score but keep clean sheets we will pick up points.”