‘I don’t fear any strikers’ – Charlton Athletic defender respectful of Birmingham frontline but fired up by challenge

Alex Mitchell has plenty of respect for Birmingham City’s quality frontline but the Charlton Athletic centre-back is relishing the opportunity to try and frustrate them.

The Blues spent in excess of £10million on Jay Stansfield from Fulham in the summer to absolutely smash the transfer record in League One.

But the spending did not stop there – far from it.

Birmingham had already moved at that point to sign Charlton’s Alfie May, last season’s Golden Boot winner in the division. And they also have Scotland international and former QPR forward Lyndon Dykes.

The Midlands club, relegated from the Championship, are five points clear of second-placed Wrexham and have scored the most goals in England’s third tier – 17 in eight games. May is the league’s joint-second top-scorer with five goals, including the winner in midweek against Huddersfield.

“It’s all respect to their strikeforce,” said former Millwall centre-back Mitchell, who previously had a loan spell with St Johnstone. “Lyndon Dykes has had a great career. Alfie May’s goal record speak for itself and Stansfield is a big, big money signing.

“But me, I don’t really fear any strikers who are in League One. You are not going to be setting the world alight. I just see it as another challenge. I played in Scotland against boys who are tens of thousands of pounds a week and were playing Champions League and Europa League. For me it is just another challenge.

“I never look at all the media about Birmingham because it is just another team. It is a long season and they’ve had a great start but it is after 46 games you want congratulations.

“I love the big games. That is one of the reasons I went on loan to Scotland to play at Ibrox and Celtic. On the day it is 11 v 11 on the pitch.

“I know there has been a lot of talk about Birmingham. They are a good side – but that’s it. We have got great support here – some facilities and stadium – so there is not like a gulf or stuff.

“There has been a lot of talk about them at the moment, I’d love to be the team that maybe quietens that down a little bit. They have had a great start – so fair play to them.”

Mitchell, who joined for an undisclosed sum in the summer, scored his first goal for the club in Tuesday’s 3-2 defeat at Bristol Rovers.

Matty Godden’s header appeared to be going in but the defender made sure by forcing it home on the goal-line.

“It made it 3-1 so it probably wasn’t the best moment to go to the corner and kneeslide,” he said. “It was good to get my first goal. It was about time I got one.

“I think Matt was a little bit angry with me. You’ve got to be there, haven’t you? He would have said the same thing – you’ve got to be there. It was off the nose…a good little finish.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD