Birmingham City have had a decent start to the season with Pep Clotet's side in the top half and pushing for the play-offs.

Whilst several notable summer signings have made a positive impression in this campaign, the emergence of talented academy graduates has been a massive boost for the club.

Of course, Jude Bellingham is the standout name to come through the ranks and Odin Bailey showed he has a role to play after scoring the winner against Middlesbrough last time out.

However, things haven't been going as well for another local lad - Josh Dacres-Cogley.

The full-back signed a new deal at St. Andrew's in the summer before joining Crawley Town on loan for the season but as our graphic shows, his time hasn't gone as planned.

And, you have to have sympathy for the 23-year-old as it has nothing to do with him.

Dacres-Cogley suffered a fractured ankle in the early stages of the sides win against Leyton Orient at the end of August and it will keep him out for three months.

Prior to that, the defender had done very well for the League Two outfit. He played three games for the Reds and they contributed to the four clearances and nine interceptions he has made this season, whilst he has won 50% of his duels, highlighting the natural defensive qualities he boasts.

As well as that, a 78.3% pass success rate proves that he is capable in possession, something that needs to improve as you go higher up the leagues. The fact the right-back chipped in with two assists in three games indicates that the player was a threat in the final third when he attacked, so his loss has been a real blow for Crawley.

Yet, the major problem for Dacres-Cogley's Birmingham ambitions have been this injury. He will have viewed this loan spell as a real chance to show what he can do but he has now been delayed on that front.

Even though he should return before Christmas, the reality is that Blues are going to have to assess how Dacres-Cogley responds to this setback over the course of the season and a January recall is unlikely.

So, it's now down to the defender to show he has the mental strength to bounce back from this and to perform well when he does return to prove to Blues that he can have a long-term future at St. Andrew's.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.