Gary McSheffrey is determined to make up for the disappointment of missing last Sunday's cathartic victory against his former employers when he returns to the Birmingham City squad for the first time in nearly a month.
The 24-year-old has now completed the three match ban he picked up for being sent off against Derby County and is in line to return when Blues face Burnley at St Andrew's this weekend.
While Steve Bruce's side could have done with his creative and goalscoring talents in the loss at Norwich City and draw with West Bromwich Albion, McSheffrey would loved to have played against his hometown club Coventry last Sunday. Instead he was forced to watch Birmingham turn in one of their best performances of the season, romp to a 3-0 win and witness Rowan Vine slot seamlessly into the left midfield spot McSheffrey had made his own since he arrived from the Ricoh Arena last August.
Nevertheless as Blues' leading scorer it is inconceivable that Bruce would not want to bring his star player back into the team on Saturday, especially given the enforced four-week break has left the attacker desperate to get back into the thick of the Championship title race.
"To get suspended was very disappointing," said McSheffrey. "It was very difficult sitting there watching the games. The Coventry game was a big one for me, one that I looked at when I first came to the club and wanted to play in."
But an ill-judged two footed challenge on County's Tyrone Mears meant he didn't get the chance, a situation he has had 29 days to ponder.
"There has been a lot of thinking time, a lot of watching football," he said. "I know it was a stupid two-footed lunge. I wasn't going out to hurt the man I had just over run the ball it was a desperate attempt to try and get something on it. Looking back I could have stayed on my feet.
"If the ball is there to be won with a tackle I will go in for it but if I know I am not favourite to win the ball I will think twice about lunging in with two feet.
"That said there is no point regretting it now, it has happened. I have served my suspension and hopefully it will do me good."
McSheffrey's logic is that he returns to the Birmingham squad completely refreshed and ready for a run-in that starts gently with struggling Burnley and Barnsley over the Easter weekend and then shelves steeply as three of their promotion rivals all lie in wait.
But having been given a week off by Bruce and allowed to recharge his batteries with his family in Marbella, McSheffrey has spent the last fortnight doing conditioning work with a strength coach, readying himself for his recall and thinking about how he can help Birmingham to a top two finish.
"With seven games now hopefully I can be fresh for the run in and we can secure promotion. It could be a blessing in disguise given the four weeks I will have had off," he said. "I have never been in this situation but I can imagine it's quite demoralising having been up there all season to finish third or fourth.
"We would have to get focused for the play offs then and be confident going into them but we don't want to think that way. If we want it enough we will do it. That's the big thing if everyone sticks together and wants it enough we will do it.
"We have got to play Southampton, Preston and Wolves and they are all in the top seven. Teams are going to take points off each other. We have got to concentrate on our own games.
"We know on any given day we can beat any team in this league and that's how we have got to go into these games."
McSheffrey's return will give Bruce virtually an entire squad to pick from, only the hamstrung Andy Cole is likely to be absent against Burnley.
