Birmingham manager Steve Bruce has hailed central defender Kenny Cunningham as his player of the year in his first season at St Andrews.
Republic of Ireland skipper Cunningham ended a long association with Wimbledon to join the Blues last summer and he has proved a rock solid performer at the back.
And Bruce believes the 31-year-old can play a part in helping the likes of Matthew Upson and Darren Purse develop their game.
Upson has already settled into a formidable partnership alongside Cunningham since his £3 million switch from Arsenal during the January transfer window.
Now the pairing will be looking to help City all but confirm their Premiership survival with a fifth victory in seven games at stuttering Charlton on Saturday.
Bruce said: "Kenny is a really, really good professional. He looks after himself but I always judge a good defender on their not having to do many things last ditch - and that is the case with Kenny.
"You never see Kenny flustered or flapping. He is always in the right position. His reading of the game is impeccable - as it has to be because he can't rely on his pace. Because he is not physically big, he has to be clever - and he is very clever at what he does.
"Week in, week out he has been as good as any player we have had because of his consistency. He would be my player of the year.
"When we didn't have him for a six-week period with a hamstring problem, it was then we struggled.
"Kenny has been there, seen that, done this and he can be a big help to people like Matthew Upson, who has been superb since he came into the side, and Darren Purse."