Player of the Season – Part One

The 2016/17 campaign has been a mixed bag for Birmingham City. It started so promisingly and then plummeted under the stewardship of Gianfranco Zola and, at the time of writing, Blues sit two points above the relegation zone with two games remaining.

Despite the current predicament, a few players have stood out and led the team during difficult times. Tomasz Kuszczak, David Davis and Che Adams could all stake a claim for the gong. But for me, one player has stood taller than most?

Player of the Season – Lukas Jutkiewicz

The Juke was bought in on loan by former manager Gary Rowett and sits on the top of Blues` scoring chart with 12 (and two assists). He has led the line admirably and, at times, he has been a lone ranger feeding off little or no service.

Admittedly, Jutkiewicz could have added more goals to his tally and he has missed some guilt edge opportunities. But all in all, for the eventual £1m Blues paid for his services, he has been a snip.

Juke made his home debut against Sheffield Wednesday back in September and scored a 92nd minute header which gave Blues all the points. That day, Blues wemt behind in the 76th minute until Clayton Donaldson levelled. Jutkiewicz was a thorn in Wednesday`s side and eventually got his just rewards with the winning goal.

Blues have only been defeated three times when Jutkiewicz has scored, bagging 14 points along the way. Looking at the league table now, it`s clear to see that his goals have given Blues a fighting chance.