Damien Johnson will retain the captaincy at Birmingham City after issuing an "unreserved apology" for his response to being substituted during the match at home to Crystal Palace three days ago.

But Steve Bruce, the Birmingham manager, has taken "appropriate disciplinary action" against the Northern Ireland international - probably a small fine and a warning - and says that the matter is now closed.

Johnson was incensed when he realised, in the 79th minute of the match, that he was being replaced by Mikael Forssell. Johnson thought that the Birmingham supporters were cheering his withdrawal and, in anger, he threw his shirt on the floor, along with his arm-band. The fans then jeered him.

At face value, it was an outrageous reaction by Johnson, but one must look at it in context. Birmingham were in need of firepower and were crying out for Forssell's pace. Something had to give.

However, Johnson misjudged the situation. The fans were not applauding his departure. They were either acknowledging the sight of Forssell - his arrival helped Blues to score in the final minute and secure a 2-1 victory - or mocking Bruce.

Contrary to reports, Johnson has not been stripped of the captaincy; nor will he be encouraged to leave the club that he has served so well over the past four years. He might even play against Shrewsbury Town at home tonight in the Carling Cup first round.

Johnson yesterday issued a statement to supporters, expressing his regret and reaffirming his desire to remain with the club.

"When the subs were read out there was a huge cheer from the fans which I took to mean that the fans were glad that I was being taken off the field, " Johnson said. "After more than four years of service for the club that really hurt. I have been told that I misread the reaction of the crowd and if that is the case then I am sorry and I hope the supporters can appreciate that.

"I give Birmingham City my complete dedication and will continue to do so and I hope that my passion on the field can show everybody that I totally mean what I am saying. Once again I wholeheartedly apologise."

Bruce is eager to ensure that Birmingham remains a bastion of unity after the problems of last season in which Kenny Cunningham, the previous captain, went public with unprecedented criticisms of how the club was run.

Johnson's reaction was unhelpful but, Bruce hopes, will be quickly forgotten, especially now that Blues are at the top of the Coca-Cola Championship.

Johnson, aged 27, was Birmingham's best player last season and his presence is essential now that the average age of the team is decreasing by the month.

Given the circumstances, Bruce handled the situation well. He needed to extract an apology from the player without allowing the matter to affect team spirit. Besides, Bruce knows that Johnson will play a key part this season.

"We all know what Damien is about," Bruce said. "He wears his heart on his sleeve for us all to see, and we also know that he has a red flash and a bit of a temper which we all saw on Saturday.

"I truly believe that he read the crowd's reaction wrongly as it wasn't long ago that he was picking up four player of the season awards. Nobody likes to see what he did and he has apologised to me, his team-mates and now, most importantly, the fans and appropriate disciplinary action has been taken.

"Damien has been a great servant for this club for over four years and I believe he epitomises what we are all about, which is hard work and passion.

"Nobody can ever question Damien's determined attitude. He has made a mistake and apologised for it and we must now put it behind us.

"We must all pull together and concentrate on the important thing, which is getting us promotion. As far as I am concerned as the team manager it has been dealt with and the matter is closed."