Half a season ploughing a lone furrow up front for Birmingham City and four games in 11 days have not dimmed Cameron Jerome's desire to play in this weekend's FA Cup.

There are only two things that might stand in the powerfully-built 21-year-old's way. The right thigh that bears part of Rio Ferdinand's footprint and his manager's desire to protect a young man who has emerged as one of Birmingham City's most key players.

Even then that might not be enough. Jerome is desperate to return to Huddersfield's Galpharm Stadium where he intends to exact retribution on the club who could have cost him a career that is now blossoming.

Jerome, one of the most improved players in Birmingham's team this season, was born in Huddersfield and was a schoolboy with the League One outfit when they refused to release him after larger clubs expressed an interest.

That prompted him to lose affection for the sport; instead of manically pursuing his chance with his hometown club he focused on his education and playing for fun with his friends. When he eventually drifted back he spent a couple of years struggling to find his niche with Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough and Grimsby Town and it took Paul Wilkinson, reserve team manager at Cardiff City, to see something in the raw 18-year-old many others had missed.

It was a good spot. Seventy-nine games in South Wales produced 27 goals and a £3 million move to St Andrew's and in many ways he looks more comfortable in the Barclays Premier League than he did with Blues in the Coca-Cola Championship last term.

In more than three years as a professional he has never played at the venue he once craved he'd call home, though that could all change on Saturday.

Birmingham have been paired with Huddersfield Town in the third round  of sport's oldest competition and that has given Jerome the chance to terrorise the Terriers.

"With the way things happened I have been looking forward to the match since the draw was made," he said.

"We'll just see if I play, I want to play every game - hopefully I will be involved at some stage even if it's coming off the bench.

"I don't have anything to prove, I have moved on, I have proved myself to them already. It happened years ago when I was a kid and I think I have showed what I can do but it would be nice to go back and put one over on them [2014] I am definitely out to do that."

But Jerome must first convince Alex McLeish he has not suffered any ill effects from his tangle with the Manchester United defender on New Year's Day.

Ferdinand caught the striker in the build up to Carlos Tevez's goal and there are those at Blues who feel play should have been stopped.

Then of course there's the fact only Stephen Kelly has played in more Premier League games for Birmingham this term [2014] that despite Jerome's surgery on a hernia early last month.

Nevertheless he is adamant he will convince his manager of his fitness, whether he actually has recovered or not.

"There is no way I would sit this out. I want to play if I'm 100 per cent, I would even play injured in this game. I have been looking forward to it for a long time.

"It's the manager's decision whether I play but if he asks me I would say I am 100 per cent."

If he does make it on to the pitch Jerome will be desperate to end his longest scoring drought of the season.

Although he remains City's joint leading scorer, both he and Olivier Kapo have claimed five league goals, he has not found the net for five games. One thing is for sure, he'll never have more motivation to change that than this Saturday.