Blues boss Kieran McKenna says Conor Townsend is an important member of the squad who has shown outstanding conduct and professionalism, despite his lack of opportunities over the course of the season.
Townsend, 31, joined the Blues from West Brom for £750,000 in August and made his debut in the Carabao Cup tie at AFC Wimbledon.
The one-time Grimsby man made his league debut for the club as a late sub at Brentford in October but didn’t feature for the first team again until the FA Cup victory over Bristol Rovers in January.
Townsend subsequently came off the bench at half-time to replace the ill Leif Davis at Liverpool and then started the FA Cup tie at Coventry and then made his full league debut in last week’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa with Davis absent through injury.
McKenna says Townsend, who started his career with hometown club Hull City, has been a role model for the rest of the squad.
"He’s been a really important part of the group,” the Town manager said. "I think he’s performed very well in the cup competitions, he was probably the last outfield squad member to really wait for significant minutes this season and throughout that his conduct and professionalism have been outstanding.
"He then got the 45 minutes against Liverpool and stood up and did well and he stood up and did well again last weekend as well.
"I think he’s a great example for the rest of the squad in terms of how he conducts himself, how he trains, being ready for your opportunities when they come and being ready to step in and help the team across the season, which everyone needs to do at different times.
"He’s stepped in and done that and he’s a player we know we can trust and a player we know can step into the team and do a really good job. We’re really happy with him.”