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Striker backed as City asset
Birmingham City, 15:08, July 18, 2010 ,
Garry O'Connor is being tipped to make an impact at Birmingham by manager Alex McLeish after an injury-plagued season last term.
The Scottish striker is determined to prove his worth after undergoing a double hip operation that could have ended his career.
McLeish has stood by the 27-year-old and he went some way to rewarding him by scoring the winning goal in the Blues 3-2 victory over a Hong Kong XI in a friendly.
However, the City boss knows he has some way to go yet before the combative frontman can be considered for Premier League action.
"Garry O'Connor has a little bit to go," said the Scot.
"He's come back from career-threatening injuries, he's had two hip injuries, two operations at the same time which is quite unheard of for footballers, so he has got a big battle ahead of him.
"We decided to be honourable and give Garry six months to prove that he is over the injuries and when you see the way he can finish - Garry O'Connor's a very, very good finisher with both feet and he's decent in the air - if he can get opportunities like that, then of course he can be an asset to us.
"But we need a lot of forwards in the Premier League because it is a position that people frequently can get injured and we need to cover ourselves.
"He struggled to get into the game but that's his first game for a long, long time and to score the winning goal with a really nice finish will give him a lot of confidence."