Manager Kieran McKenna says senior players such as Richard Keogh and Sone Aluko have played a big part in the Blues’ success this season, even if they haven’t played as much as they would have wanted to, and also that he has spoken to the experienced managers and coaches who have helped shape his career through the campaign.
Keogh, 36, rejoined the club in August but has made only four league starts and five sub appearances for the club where he was a youth player 20 years ago.
Aluko, 34, has started four league games in addition to 10 appearances from the bench having suffered a knee and hamstring injury in August which sidelined him for four months.
Nevertheless, McKenna says the pair have played a vital role in the squad during the Blues’ promotion push.
"They’re absolutely huge,” he said. "I have to say, and it’s one thing I don’t think people will realise until you’re in and around it, the impact that the mood and the dynamic in the squad will have on their performances and the preparation for games, which in the end dictates the performances.
"We’re very fortunate with that, fortunate with the characters we have in the building. Richard Keogh and Sone Aluko have both been absolutely outstanding, have had a massive impact on the season.
"Richard Keogh in my opinion has had a massive impact on the clean sheet record that we have and our defensive record because of the way that he works every day, the way that the other centre-halves can learn habits and traits from him, the way that he speaks to them.
"And Sone has had a massive impact, not just on the pitch in games that he’s played like Richard where they’ve played some important games and minutes for us, that have made a difference.
"But also in his impact on developing the other players, developing the younger players, speaking to them, being a voice, being a mentor and setting a terrific example in training.
"I think those two players as an example, we’re lucky to have them. Of course, they would both like to play more, it’s not easy for them not playing as many minutes as they would want to play, but they also understand that the team has been performing very well.
"We have a big squad. You need that if you want to operate at the top of the table late in the season.
"In the first half of the season, we had a lot of injuries and it showed the whole team why you need a big squad because we went from having 20, 21, 22 to players to operating with 15, 16 players for a large chunk of the first half of the season. I think the group now understand why we have a big squad.
"We don’t have too many injuries at the moment, so it means a lot of players aren’t getting minutes and that’s when having a really top senior group of leaders who still conduct themselves right every day, who are still professional, who still train and prepare to play, while also helping their teammates, that educates the other players and the rest of the players in the squad of how to behave as a proper professional.”
McKenna was asked whether he had liaised with the likes of Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjær, for whom he worked at Manchester United.
"Of course, you speak to the people who you have an impact on your career right the way through the season at different parts,” he said.
"You speak to different people about different stages of the season, whether that’s the start of the season and how to manage different situations or the Christmas period or now at the end of the season.
"I’ve been around a lot of people who have had a lot of successful end of seasons and there are different things that they’ll speak about that will impact you, not just conversations now, but conversations over the last few years that will impact how you go about things.
"I come back to people who have been successful and been in these situations a lot. It will be about focusing on the next game and on performances, not worrying too much about the outside noise and just controlling what you can control.
"And I think that’s the same with people who are successful in football or in any other sport or in most walks of life. Those are the lessons that I’ve taken and I believe in and that we try to impart on the squad.”
Meanwhile, ahead of Football Shirt Friday, McKenna was asked if he remembered his first shirt.
"That's a good question,” he considered. "I can definitely remember a couple of early [Manchester] United ones, the blue and white stripy one that had the names of all the players embroidered on it, if anyone remembers that one. That was an early one.
"I would have thought maybe around the World Cups, 1990 I would have thought my parents would have stuck a kit on me.
"I'll go for one of the early United ones and probably the blue and white one. I don't think it would have been my first but certainly one of my first memorable ones.”
Any particular name or number on the back? "I would have said there is a strong bet it would have been Cantona.”