Birmingham City FC

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• Manager:Alex McLeish

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Blues complete Vine deal

12 Jan 2007 - 07:26:52

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Birmingham City have strengthened their bid to win promotion back to the Premiership by signing Luton Town striker Rowan Vine for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £2.5million.

Vine, 24, has bagged 14 goals this season and impressed Blues boss Steve Bruce with a brace in a 3-2 victory for Luton over Birmingham at Kenilworth Road in October.

The Championship leaders have been forced into the transfer market after Nicklas Bendtner suffered an ankle injury that will sideline the on-loan Arsenal striker for at least a month.

Cameron Jerome is also sidelined indefinitely with a troublesome Achilles injury.

"This was exactly the move I wanted," Vine told the club's official website. "It was as close to the Premier League as you could be.

"I spoke to Steve Bruce and he said he wanted me because he'd watched me play and I'd done well.

"The team has done brilliantly to get where they are now. There's 20 odd games left this season and hopefully I can play a part in getting the club into the Premier League."