Birmingham born Coventry City central defender Ben Turner could miss the FA Cup tie at St Andrews if his manager Aidy Boothroyd is in any doubt about his fitness as he is reluctant to risk further injury by playing him.
Turner is keen to play against the team he used to support before signing for Coventry City. He said to the CT: "It would be a dream to play at the ground where I watched so much football when I was younger."
"I played against Blues at the Ricoh when we beat them the season they went up but I have never played at St Andrews. I was 18th man once under Chris Coleman and that was one of the most depressing days of my career finding out I was sitting in the stands for that game, but hopefully I can travel with the lads for the cup game and who knows."
"I just have to see how I find training after being out for ten weeks but if it doesn't happen it doesn't happen and hopefully there will be plenty more times when I get to play at St Andrews in my career. It is not the be all and end all."
City manager Aidy Boothroyd is as keen to select Turner for the fourth round FA Cup game as Turner is to play, but he admits he has to be careful.
"I have got to assess where he is because he is one of those who wants to go through the pain barrier and play but I have got to be careful because while we want him back, we don't want to lose him for any longer," said Boothroyd.
"It goes without saying that Ben would be in the team because of how he has done so far and what he brings to us. I have to rely on the physios and sports scientists to do their work and make sure they make the calculated risk, but everyone is working together to try to get him back."
Turner damaged his knee when playing against Leeds United at The Ricoh in November last year and if he is deemed unfit for Saturday's cup game he could make his return on Tuesday for the home clash with Nottingham Forest or ironically the away trip to Leeds Saturday week
Turner explained, "I did it in a side on tackle with Robert Snodgrass who went in facing down the pitch and it opened my knee out and I knew straight away that something major had happened. My knee locked up and it was the last couple of minutes so I finished the game and then when the physio tested it he knew straight away that it was a medial.
"It was a fair challenge. He was running down the left and we had gone to three at the back so I was playing left centre-back and I chased the ball out wide, but he went in fair and I can't complain. It was just one of those things."
"It has been eleven weeks since I played. I have had a grade two/three medial ligament injury in my left knee. The highest grade is three, which is the worst, so it was nearly a complete rupture and that's why it has taken a bit longer than Sammy Clingan because his was a grade one/two so a greater percentage of my ligament was torn and I have had to wait for that to knit back together."
"Generally a grade three can lead to an op but as long as there is still some ligament left standing it will heal, so I haven't needed one because, fingers crossed, it has healed itself."
"It is going to be a bit of a worry in the back of my mind, but that's like with any injury, so it will be nice to prove that it is strong by taking a tackle and that will come soon enough and I will get confidence from that."
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