Kenny to make Birmingham return tonight

Koen Freriks

9 augustus 2006, 16:26

Former Birmingham City captain Kenny Cunningham will come face to face with arch-enemy Steve Bruce as Sunderland welcome the Blues to the Stadium of Light on Wednesday night.

Cunningham parted company with the St Andrews club in rancorous circumstances after relegation from the Premiership last season.

The veteran Dubliner spoke out against the entire administrative structure at Birmingham following his departure, claiming that City's dismissal of fitness coach Arnaud Bruchard was central to their season-long slump and that the club had "no heartbeat and no soul".

The outburst drew a passionate response from Bruce, who labelled Cunningham unmanly and accused him of sour grapes.

Cunningham is likely to face one of the most highly-rated young forwards in the country this evening in the shape of on-loan Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner.

The 18-year-old, included in the Denmark senior squad for the first time this week, made his league debut against Colchester United on Saturday, scoring Birmingham's winner after coming off the bench as a second half substitute.