Birmingham City defender Stephen Kelly is the only outfield player to have played in every minute of every game this season.

The five other ever-presents are goalkeepers and Kelly's achievement is all the more impressive because he was not an automatic first pick last season, then Stuart Parnaby was signed by Steve Bruce last summer to put pressure on the 24-year-old right back.

"I didn't realise I was the last one to have the record," he told the Daily Mail. "I knew there were a couple of us. I read in the match programme a couple of months ago at West Ham that Matthew Upson was a contender for it.

"I suppose it's unusual because goalkeepers are normally best placed to keep that going. They are less prone to injury. Now I've got the record, I want to keep it going until the end of the season. It may not look much, but I'm quite proud of it.

"It shows you have kept a consistent level of performance. It's also pleasing because, as a defender, you only need to make two mistimed tackles a game and that could lead to a sending-off - and I've not been suspended.

"If I played in every game and we ended up staying in the Premier League, I'd settle for that."

Kelly has faced pretty much everyone in the Barclays Premier League this season, so who is the best?

"It's going to surprise no one, but Cristiano Ronaldo is the best I've faced," said Kelly. "What makes it difficult is he's a great athlete. People talk about his quick feet and his ability, but no one really talks about how quick he is. You need to keep your eye on the ball all the time. If you watch his feet, you tie yourself up in knots."