Bruce - Charlton win must be the start

ALEX Bruce has stressed the importance of using Saturday's win over Charlton as a starting point in their sprint to the Premier League.With eight games to go Bruce is urging his team-mates to win every game, including battles against promotion rivals Wolves and Hull City and derby games with Colchester United and Norwich City.

Derek Davis

ALEX Bruce has stressed the importance of using Saturday's win over Charlton as a starting point in their sprint to the premier League.

With eight games to go Bruce is urging his team-mates to win every game, including battles against promotion rivals Wolves and Hull City and derby games with Colchester United and Norwich City.

Bruce said: “We've got to take heart from the performance against Charlton and go on a run - it's no good just saying it. We've got the players to do it and there's no reason why we can't do it.

“The way the season's gone, you never know if teams are going to go unbeaten for the rest of the season, or if teams are going to have dips in form.

“It's so tight, you can't tell. All I know is that we've got to concentrate on ourselves.

“We've got big games coming up, with a couple of local derbies included in them, and if we pick them vital points up and win our game in hand we won't have to worry about anyone else, it'll be in our own hands.

“If we put a run together and get a few wins we'll be in the play-offs.

“If we can put together a run like Hull or Wolves, who've come from nowhere, then I'm sure we'll be fine.”

The Blues are looking to complete a hat-trick of away wins, and doubles, by beating Scunthorpe at Glanford Park.

Bruce said: “We've done well away from home since January I think. Barnsley was a blip. On the whole our away performances have been a lot more consistent. Hopefully we can take those performances into Scunthorpe and Colchester, maintain our home form, and if we do that we should be ok.”

But Bruce is not taking the relegation-threatened Iron for granted.

He said: “People know that when you're in a relegation dogfight you're scrapping. It'll be a difficult game for us, but if we play to our potential, then we shouldn't really have any excuses.

“We should come away from Glanford Park with three points. We know it's going to be a difficult game, but with a little bit of lady luck, and a couple of decisions going our way, we'll be fine.”

Bruce is philosophical about the possibility of a new defender coming in, and where he is asked to play.

He said: “I like playing centre-half, I think I'm at my best there, but as I've said before if the manager wants to play me right-back, left-back, wherever, as long as I'm playing then I'm happy. Everyone has their opinions but he's the main one because he picks the team, so whatever combination he thinks is right on the day, that's the one we have to work on.

“There's always going to be competition for places which keeps everyone on their toes. There's been talk of another centre-half coming in, but you've just got to make sure you're playing well and not worry about things like that. What will happen, will happen.”