Birmingham City defender Jake Clarke-Salter has urged his team-mates to bounce back from their recent defeat to Wigan Athletic by securing a positive result against Middlesbrough on Friday.

The 22-year-old, who is currently on a season-long loan at St Andrew's from Chelsea, made his first Championship appearance for the Blues during yesterday's clash with the Latics.

Whilst Clarke-Salter delivered a promising individual performance, he was unable to prevent Wigan from sealing all three points at the DW Stadium.

Following a lacklustre first-half display from Blues, it seemed as if the clash was destined to end in a draw as both teams struggled to create any clear cut opportunities.

However, Wigan eventually broke the deadlock in the 76th minute as Anthony Pilkington's speculative strike somehow evaded goalkeeper Lee Camp.

Whilst Birmingham did push for an equaliser in the closing stages, Paul Cook's side managed to hold on to secure a crucial victory.

Having now lost three games on the bounce in the Championship, the west Midlands outfit will be aiming to get their season back on track when they face Boro on Friday.

Speaking to BluesTV ahead of the clash, Clarke-Salter said: "It was very difficult to take [the Wigan defeat] but we now need to look at the positives now and make it right on Friday.

"That's the main thing. We have been working very hard on the training pitch, trying to improve our offensive play and we will keep practising, working hard.

"Friday is massive for us now, we need to get the points. That's the main objective for us."

The Verdict

Whilst manager Pep Clotet will be concerned with Birmingham's recent struggles in the second-tier, there is no reason why his side cannot bounce back on Friday.

With Middlesbrough currently experiencing an underwhelming 2019/20 campaign under the guidance of Jonathan Woodgate, the Blues could secure victory over their Championship opponents providing that they make a fast start to the clash.

If they do indeed seal all three points at St Andrew's, Birmingham could use the momentum gained from this result to push on over the coming months.

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