Tomoki Iwata was the only outfield player to start all five of Birmingham City’s fixtures over Christmas and New Year.

The Japanese midfielder was given 17 minutes off by Chris Davies after helping Blues into a commanding 3-0 lead at Wigan Athletic on Saturday having been otherwise ever-present during the most gruelling time of the football calendar.

Excluding stoppage time, Iwata has played 433 minutes of football in 13 days. To add context, Iwata’s deputy Marc Leonard has only played 599 minutes across the entire League One campaign.

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Davies puts Iwata's durability down to the way he manages his body before and after matches. If you wait around long enough after a Blues game you are likely to see Iwata re-emerge to perform some elaborate stretches. The 27-year-old even stretches on the team coach.

“It was a big ask of Tomo but I was assessing it in the last couple of days,” said Davies. “Physically we know he’s strong but he coped really well with it. He’s such a professional player.

“If you watched the way he recovers and what he does with his body on the bus on the way up, everything he does with his body is so professional and that’s why he’s able to play five games in 13 days. Not many players can do that and they’ve been physical games as well. He’s a really important player for us.”

Iwata hobbled off the field at The Brick Community Stadium to spark injury concern but Blues now have two weeks before their next league fixture. Davies is likely to give Iwata a rest with cup clashes against Lincoln City and Swindon Town on the horizon.

Davies added: “They’ve all had kicks, and bumps and bruises, and I think it was a kick. I haven’t heard any more than that.”

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