Birmingham's Ridgewell admits getting round with metal rod in leg

Birmingham City defender Liam Ridgewell was delighted with his goal in their victory over Sunderland.

Ridgewell bundled Sebastian Larsson's free-kick home after 37 minutes.

The Brum defender, 25, sets off airport alarms because of all the metal that surgeons put in his right leg after he broke it back in April.

But he went completely unnoticed by the slack Sunderland defence.

He said: "I've got a rod and four screws still in my leg. Because of my age they might take them out at some stage. Every time I go through, the security machine has bleeped.

"I went on holiday this year with the wife and kids and it went off. I got a quizzical look from the security bloke and I had to say: 'Honestly, I've got nothing on me - apart from a metal rod in my leg'.

"I'm not sure he believed me. But I'll be OK in the future.

"They have got these full-body scanners now, so they'll be able to see the rod and the screws and let me through without any problem."