Chris Davies explains Krystian Bielik's problem as forgotten man closes on Birmingham City return

Chris Davies has allayed any fears over an injury to Krystian Bielik by confirming cramp forced him to substitute Birmingham City’s captain in the closing stages of the draw with Northampton.

Bielik was replaced by Dion Sanderson in the 88th minute and watched his teammates concede a stoppage time equaliser to drop two points. The Poland international was making his first appearance in a month after an ankle injury and started in place of Ben Davies who missed out through illness.

Asked about Bielik’s withdrawal after the game, Davies said: “He’s been injured for quite a while and just cramped up. He couldn’t continue and wanted to come off. Dion came on for the last few minutes and we unfortunately conceded the goal.”

READ MORE:Furious ex-Birmingham City manager grabs and shakes his own player after red card

READ MORE:Chris Davies explains why Ben Davies and Taylor Gardner-Hickman missed Birmingham City match

Bielik’s return means Blues aren’t far away from a fully fit squad. Lee Buchanan is working his way back to fitness after three months out with a calf injury and could return after the international break.

READ: Rivals agree with Blues boss Chris Davies as 'joke' League One decision slammed

READ: Birmingham City boss Chris Davies doubles down on May and Stansfield belief

The club’s only injured players at the moment are wingers Emil Hansson and Scott Wright. Below is a full rundown of the issues…

Lee Buchanan

Injury: Calf

Left-back Buchanan was dogged by a calf injury in pre-season and it's allowed Alex Cochrane to take his place in the XI. Buchanan picked up a separate calf issue on his return to training earlier this season but now, three months into the campaign, appears to be on on the verge of a return.

What has Davies said? “He's had few setbacks from a few injuries, he’s been out for a long while, so I think the thing with Lee is that he needs to build a base of fitness to really allow him to cope with the demands of training and games.”

Emil Hansson

Injury: Muscle

Hansson pulled up 10 minutes into the second half of Blues' win at Lincoln on October 19 but he recovered swiftly to start against Bolton three days later. The Swedish winger had to be replaced 20 minutes into Blues' 2-0 win over Bolton. Davies has ruled Hansson out until after the international break.

Scott Wright

Injury: Unspecified

Wright suffered an injury in training on the eve of Blues' trip to Lincoln and has now missed six games as a result. The Scottish winger's impact off the bench has been missed.

What has Davies said? “Scott and Emil are both at very similar stages with their injuries, so we won't see them before the international break.”

Alfie Chang

Injury: Knee

The 22-year-old is being given time to rebuild his fitness after more than a year on the sidelines with a cruciate knee ligament injury. Chang has been omitted from Blues' squad meaning he isn't currently eligible for League One fixtures but he could be handed some minutes for the under-21s before January.

What has Davies said? “Because he was out for 14 months it was different to a lot of the injuries we talk about, it’s something that takes time. I think he’s done a good block of training now for a month or so, the next step is bigger spaced areas and maybe some exposure to under-21s football. It’s a longer road for Alfie but he’s done very well so far and worked so hard to come back from his injury.”