Birmingham full-back Stuart Parnaby will continue to work hard in an attempt to push himself into Alex McLeish's first-team plans.

The defender joined the Blues on a free transfer from Middlesbrough over the summer after becoming tired of continuously being overlooked at The Riverside. But recently he has found himself back in the same situation.

The recent arrival of McLeish at St Andrews may just be the answer to Parnaby's problems though, as the new boss included him in the squad for his first game in charge at Tottenham last Sunday.

"It has happened before to me," he told the Birmingham Mail. "I can get over things like that.

"If you ask anyone I haven't stopped working hard and trying. I've played reserve games when they've wanted me to.

"I will keep grafting and hopefully I will get my break. I know it was only half-an-hour on Sunday, but it was a game at White Hart Lane in front of a lot of people.

"That's a big difference to what I've been doing for the last couple of months which obviously I haven't been chuffed about.

"I came to play basically and if I'm not doing that, which was the case, then I'm not going to be happy am I?

"But if that's the situation, you've got to try and cope with it and prove yourselves in training and the reserves.

"I have got to get on with it. There is a new manager in now and I've got to impress him. I just need to keep myself in the fold and wait for a chance.

"At least I was on the bench at Spurs, because I haven't even been in the squads for the past two months.

"I just want a good chance to prove that I can play."