Bruce: Campbell a gamble

Steve Bruce has admitted it is a gamble signing Brentford striker DJ Campbell.

Steve Bruce has admitted it is a gamble bringing Brentford striker DJ Campbell to Birmingham City.

The exciting attacker enhanced his reputation with a double strike on Saturday that dumped Sunderland out of the FA Cup.

Bruce made a beat-the-deadline raid on Griffin Park to snap up the 24-year-old Londoner for £500,000.

"It's a gamble, of course it is," revealed Bruce to Sky Sports News. "He's come from nowhere.

"Basically, a year ago, he was playing non-league football.

"We've seen enough of him in games he's played at Brentford and certainly at the weekend again, he wasn't fazed by it and it was quite refreshing.

"We've got experience in Emile Heskey, Mikael Forssell and Chris Sutton. He'll give us that extra dimension and will complement the other three.

"When you meet him you'll see the enthusiasm. He's worked for six or seven years now to come into professional football. To be thrown into a chance in the Premier League, I'm sure he'll grasp that and enjoy the whole thing.

"We didn't get him signed by midday so it's better to let him stay at home and start again on Thursday."

City travel to Merseyside for a difficult away clash at Liverpool on Wednesday evening.