Birmingham are
anxiously awaiting X-ray results and medical reports on record signing
Geoff Horsfield after last night's distressing St Andrew's curtain raiser.
Given a 3-1 beating by impressive Fulham in front of 21,000 fans expecting
a different script, the gloom deepened with the news that £2.25m Horsfield
spent the night in hospital with a worrying thigh injury.
Horsfield collapsed in agony after a collision with Fulham keeper Maik
Taylor eight minutes before half time.
He was stretchered away with what was initially described as a "heavily
bruised thigh", but there were worries that the damage may be even more
serious.
"We do not know the full extent of the problems but the medical staff
want X-rays just to make sure there is nothing broken," said manager
Trevor Francis.
"Geoff is a strong boy with a high pain threshold. but he was in great
pain and that was worrying.
"We will know later what the outcome will be. Obviously, it was not
the night we were looking for."
Blues were jeered off at the end of a sobering 90 minutes which punctured
all the early-season optimism around St Andrew's and immediately undermined
the team's claims to be promotion contenders.
Francis conceded: "We can play much better than that, but we were made
to look very ordinary throught the evening by a team brimming with confidence.
"Fulham won with ease and we cannot hide from that fact.
Source westmidlands by Martin Swain