Birmingham City players headed for a mid-season break in Malta hoping to recharge their batteries ahead of the business end of the season.

 

With the recent cold spell, training has been hard and boss Alex McLeish wants his players to maintain the form they have shown so far during this campaign. The up-and-coming FA Cup match against Everton is the next challenge facing the Blues and McLeish was keen to stress that the trip was very much business as usual. "It's not a holiday. We're working hard - possibly even harder than we would normally because of the weather. But it's also a wee bit of sun on the players' back and will hopefully recharge the batteries ahead of the run-in."

One player not making the trip to the sun is defender Martin Taylor. With appearances limited due to the form of other players, his services are no longer essential to Birmingham and with Leicester City reportedly interested in the centre-back, his days at St Andrews may be numbered. A loan deal is a possibility but with Taylor out of contract in the summer no doubt the club would be happier with a permanent move.