McLeish hoping goal brings out the best in Zigic

Alex McLeish hopes Nikola Zigic's first goal in Birmingham colours will provide just the tonic for the striker and help him find his goalscoring touch. The Serbia international, a summer signing from Valencia for a fee believed to be in the region of £6million, finally opened his Blues account in last night`s 3-1 Carling Cup third-round triumph over MK Dons at St Andrew`s. McLeish admits the towering frontman is still adapting to life in England and the demands of the Barclays Premier League. But the Scot hopes by opening his account - and getting more crucial match fitness under his belt - he will gain the necessary belief to prove his worth. "Let`s hope that goal will be big for him," said McLeish. "He`s still adjusting to the pace of the game, he has admitted that it`s quite quick and even the aerial stuff is new to him as such. "You wouldn't believe that, I know the big man is 6ft 8in, but he would normally do two or three aerial jousts in the games in Europe and quite often he`s been on the end of those jousts to score vital goals for Racing Santander, Valencia and Serbia. "So he`s been taken a little bit by surprise by how many times it comes up to him in the air, so that`s a little bit different and he`s having to adjust to that. But I hope that (goal) will do him good."

Source: PA