Birmingham's Carling Cup success will count for little if they are relegated, according to Stephen Carr.
Blues captain targets win against rivals to seal their safety
Birmingham's Carling Cup success will count for little if they are relegated, according to Stephen Carr.
The Blues skipper led his club to an unexpected victory over Arsenal, who were massively fancied to claim their first silverware in six years.
However, winning that trophy has proved to be both a blessing and a curse for Alex McLeish's team.
A run of bad form and a raft of injuries since their zenith of the season has seen them tumble down the table.
There is now just a four-point cushion between them and the relegation zone with four games left of the term, starting with a derby clash against Wolves on Sunday.
Carling Cup
"The Carling Cup win was great obviously but the main objective coming into the season was to stay in the league and we haven't done too well since the Carling Cup win for some reason.
"We probably just took our foot off the pedal, we have one or two injuries, we didn't get those performance levels up and we got punished when we were making mistakes.
"Winning the cup was a bonus. Once we stay in the league then, with the cup win, it will have been a great season - but we still have to do it."
The win at Wembley was Birmingham's first piece of silverware since 1963 which was a major fillip for McLeish.
Carr concedes that the fate of the Blues is still very much in their own hands and he is targeting a victory against Wolves to nudge them over the 40-point safety barrier.
Bonus
"The Carling Cup is a bonus at the end of the season for us," he added.
"I know the fans might not think that, having not won anything for so long.
"But this (the Premier League) is where the money is for the club financially so we know how important it is to stay in this league.
"If we win on Sunday against Wolves, it more or less takes us away from it (relegation) so it's in our own hands and that's how you want it coming to the end of the season."
