Painter Gutted To Miss Out On Blues Fixture

Former Birmingham left - back Marcos Painter is only going to be a spectator this evening in the game he was looking forward to most of all.

Painter, a lifelong Blues fan, will have family and friends in either end of the Liberty tonight, but he says there is only one team he wants to come out victorious.

Speaking to the Evening Post, he said:

'I am really gutted not to be playing tonight. This was one of the games that I really looked out for.'

'Half of my family is coming down. There will be a good majority in the Birmingham end and the rest I will have to get tickets for in the Swansea end.'

'It is going to be a great game and, although I won't be part of the game on the field, I'll do my fair bit of shouting off it.'

'I love Birmingham because it is where I am from, but tonight I want Swansea to win because I play for them and love them as much.'

'Birmingham are a good side — the table doesn't lie. But I think a few results recently haven't gone too well for them.'

'They are beatable — we have beaten big sides like Wolves at home.'

'I don't think there is anything to fear. We can beat them.'

Speaking about his recupperation from his cruciate knee ligament injury, the full back remained positive.

'I'm really pleased with the operation because it would have been worrying if my cartilage was damaged.'

'I have been picking up the exercises and certain strengthening movements and it is still sore, but I need to get the movement back into my knee again.'

'If you look at my leg now it is wasting away, but I have a complex machine which sticks electrodes onto your leg and it helps the recuperation.'

'There is no point being downbeat about it. From the day it happened I knew I would be out for a long time.'

'The surgeon recommends six months of recovery and if that is the case then it will take me past the end of the season.'

'This is not something that you want to rush but I recover quickly.'

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