Birmingham City have released a positive update on the condition of goalkeeper Neil Etheridge following a head injury sustained against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. 

The Blues goalkeeper collided with Djed Spence on the hour mark of this weekend's match, and required medical attention.

The club have now revealed that Etheridge was knocked unconscious during the event, but positively, that following CT scans, there were no injury to the bones in the head revealed.

A statement issued by Birmingham on Etheridge's update read: "Following a collision with Nottingham Forest defender Djed Spence in the 60th minute of Saturday’s fixture, Blues ‘keeper Neil Etheridge was knocked unconscious and required immediate medical attention on the field of play.

"After a swift response from the medical personnel at the City Ground, Etheridge was stabilised before being transferred to the Queen’s Medical Centre to undergo further assessment."

"Thankfully, CT scans revealed no injury to the bones in the head but considerable swelling to the right side of the face which took the full force of the impact."

"Following close consultation with the Club’s medical staff, he was cleared to return home late on Saturday evening.

"The Club will follow the FA’s concussion protocol over the coming days whilst continually monitoring Etheridge’s condition to ensure his safe return to action."

"We would like to place on record our thanks to the staff at the City Ground and the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham for their quick and effective response to what was an extremely concerning situation."

Posting on his Instagram story today, as seen below, Etheridge thanked everybody for their well wishes following the injury.

Goals from Keinan Davis and Scott McKenna in either half secured a 2-0 win for Forest from that match at The City Ground, condemning Birmingham to a an 18th defeat in their 41 league games this season.

Birmingham are now 18th in the Championship table, and are next in action when they host Coventry on Friday afternoon, although the nature of his injury means it is unlikely Etheridge will feature in that game.

The Verdict

It's great news to read that CT scans revealed no further damage to Neil Etheridge in the head.

Head injuries are gruesome, and any time a player is knocked unconscious on a football pitch, it is always a concern.

The medical staff at the City Ground and the hospital deserve a huge amount of credit for their work in helping Etheridge following the collision.

Let's hope that the Blues goalkeeper makes a full recovery sooner rather than later, given he has found game time hard to come by for a number of reasons at times this season.