Latest Birmingham City news from BirminghamLive includes Kevin Long on how Lukas Jutkiewicz is keeping the dressing room in check
Veteran striker Lukas Jutkiewicz will ensure Birmingham City’s high-fliers don’t get ahead of themselves, defender Kevin Long has insisted.
Blues made it three wins on the spin with a 2-0 victory over Bristol City on Saturday, courtesy of goals from substitutes Koji Miyoshi and Jutkiewicz. John Eustace’s team are riding high in the Championship table in third position.
Ironic chants of ‘We’re gonna win the league’ could be heard at Ashton Gate yesterday with Blues fans basking in the glory of another three points. Only three games have been played, however, and Blues’ experienced heads won’t let complacency creep into the dressing room.
“We do speak about not getting ahead of ourselves,” said Long, 33. “We’ve had a good start to the season but it doesn’t really mean anything yet. We can only focus on each game as it comes.
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“I know there’s a lot of talk on the outside with the new owners but we have to put that to one side to be totally honest. We need to focus on training and improving, then the season will take care of itself.”
Jutkiewicz, 34, has experienced more sorrows than joys during his seven years at St Andrew’s. Long says the club captain will keep everyone’s feet firmly on the ground.
Long added: “It’s a collective thing but some of the lads that have been here for a while, the likes of Jukes, take care of the dressing room and make sure no one is getting carried away and keep everyone in line.
“I think we need that. With so many young players coming in as well, it’s easy to lose focus but we need to continue what we’re doing and not get carried away with ourselves.
The defensive partnership between Irish defender Long and skipper Dion Sanderson has been lauded in recent weeks. Blues have kept three successive clean sheets and conceded just once in 360 minutes of football this season
“We’re doing a lot of work on the training ground so it becomes easy when you do that,” Long says of Blues’ double act at the back. “Dion is a good guy and he speaks a lot on the pitch. It makes it easy when you have got somebody who can communicate next to you.
“The players that have come in around us look really good. We look solid defensively at the moment but we also look a threat going forward so the signs are good.”
