LATEST NEWS: Birmingham city Released The Names Of Their Squad For Pre-season In Austria

No fewer than nine untried Birmingham City youngsters have been given the chance to impress manager Chris

out in Austria.

Davies has bolstered Blues’ numbers by selecting a group of the club’s most promising starlets to join his senior stars on the plane. They will be put through their paces at Blues’ base in Austria on Friday before the pre-season programme begins against FC Paderborn 07 on Saturday afternoon.

Everyone knows all about Romelle Donovan by now after the 17-year-old made his debut last year and ended the campaign with 10 first team appearances. Brandon Khela has first team minutes under his belt too and excelled on loan at Ross County in the second half of last season.

Here’s the lowdown on those who have travelled to Austria and are yet to play for the first team in a competitive game…

Brad Mayo

Position: Goalkeeper

Boyhood Bluenose Mayo appeared on the substitutes bench a couple of times last season and had a stellar year with the under-21s. He started 34 of their 40 matches across all competitions and recorded nine clean sheets.

Blues have rewarded Mayo with a new two-year contract and, while he doesn’t possess the height of Ryan Allsop or Bailey Peacock-Farrell, the 19-year-old is good with his feet. He said: “This year the 21s have played a real possession-based football, it’s only helped my game, it’s another thing in my locker I can do and I feel really confident doing it now.”

Byron Pendleton

Position: Right-back

Blues showed faith in Pendleton by handing him a two-year professional contract in October last year when he was just 17. Pendleton has played regularly for the under-21s despite only just finishing his scholarship and possesses speed and enthusiasm in abundance. The right-back is another Blues fan and joined the club at pre-academy stage when he was just five.

Position: Centre-back

Fogarty has recently turned 20 and will be hoping to make an impression on Davies. The Northern Ireland under-21 international spent the second half of last season on loan at Ebbsfleet and helped them retain their National League status.

Blues’ lack of options at centre-back could potentially open the door to Fogarty in the early games of pre-season. In order to force his way into Davies’ thinking, the defender needs a faultless few days.

Laiith Fairnie

Position: Centre-back

Fogarty has recently turned 20 and will be hoping to make an impression on Davies. The Northern Ireland under-21 international spent the second half of last season on loan at Ebbsfleet and helped them retain their National League status.

Blues’ lack of options at centre-back could potentially open the door to Fogarty in the early games of pre-season. In order to force his way into Davies’ thinking, the defender needs a faultless few days.

Laiith Fairnie

Josh Home

Position: Midfielder

Home was handed the captain’s armband for the under-21s last season by Steve Spooner which says a lot. The 19-year-old made an impression in pre-season last year and was named in the squad on Boxing Day when Blues were well beaten by Stoke City.

Having joined Blues from Newcastle United’s academy three years ago, Home has been a stand-out player for both the under-18s and under-21s and is one to watch in pre-season.

Sahid Kamara

Position: Midfielder

Kamara only joined Blues last year following a successful trial but he isn’t new to the academy system having spent time on Charlton Athletic’s books previously. The midfielder has become a mainstay in the under-21s side and now has the chance to catch Davies’ eye.

Menzi Mazwi

Position: Winger

Supporters feared Mazwi would become the latest whizz kid to slip the net in May when he was linked with some of the Premier League’s leading lights but the 18-year-old, who is already a regular for Wales’ under-19s, has signed a two-year contract with Blues.

Mazwi has spent large portions of the last two seasons with the under-21s despite only just finishing his scholarship. Speaking after signing his professional deal, Mazwi said: “It’s a 12-year commitment, a lot of early mornings and late nights, to get to this means a lot to me and my family who have supported me.

Position: Striker

Tattum is from a Blues-supporting family and made a big impression in the under-18s’ successful season. Tattum has all the hallmarks of a throwback centre-forward and plundered goals for fun for Martyn Olorenshaw’s side, including a perfectly executed lob in their 2-1 win over Charlton in the Professional Development League National Final.

“I’m more of an off the shoulder type of striker, I like to get in behind and score goals,” Tattum said when describing his playing style.