Birmingham vs Hull City - Vaughan missing for Birmingham's clash with Hull

Posted Wednesday, March 02, 2016 by PA

Birmingham manager Gary Rowett will be without striker James Vaughan and midfielder Stephen Gleeson is also a doubt ahead of the Thursday night meeting with Hull.

Vaughan has a calf injury and Gleeson is suffering from illness which affected him during the 2-0 defeat at QPR on Saturday.

Gleeson started the game and Vaughan was a substitute, coming on for the last 19 minutes, but the latter's injury could force Rowett to dip into the loan market as he will be out for two weeks.

Rowett, whose side have won only one of their last five Sky Bet Championship games to stand eighth in the table and four points off a play-off place, is already without striker Nicolai Brock-Madsen because of a quad muscle injury but is also considering a return to the first-team squad for rising star Viv Solomon-Otabor.

A point would be enough to return Hull to the summit although former Birmingham manager Steve Bruce will be targeting three against his old club but what will be concerning him is a lack of goals as his side have scored just one in their last four games in all competitions.

Bruce, who can look to a side who have secured wins in their last two away Championship fixtures, has to decide whether to give on-loan Manchester United midfielder Nick Powell a starting berth at St Andrew's.

Powell played in the 0-0 FA Cup draw at Arsenal and came off the bench to feature in the goalless home draw with Sheffield Wednesday last time out.

Bruce has a fully fit squad to choose from for the trip to St Andrew's, with on-loan Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom also pushing for a starting place.