CHUFFER BENITEZ; New boy Chucho may prove the ticket for Blues survival.

Byline: LEE REYNOLDS

ALEX McLEISH has finally bought a ticket for the express Chucho train and on this evidence it looks more than capable of keeping Birmingham on the fast track to Premier League safety.

Blues boss McLeish spent hours late at night watching Chucho on South American satellite TV before deciding to sign the Ecuador forward - real name Christian Benitez.

Now Benitez has gone from waiting at the platform to full steam ahead after being handed his first start of the season at the KC Stadium.

He ran the show from start to finish, terrorising the Tigers defence with his raw pace and power despite spending 10 minutes of the first half having stitches to a head wound.

Gary O'Connor came off the bench to head the winner from Keith Fahey's corner on 74 minutes and secure a Blues side hit by illness and injury a first away win of the season.

But it was Benitez who took the plaudits on an afternoon when he could have left Humberside with a hat-trick as well as a sore head. Only Hull keeper Boaz Myhill stopped Benitez sinking Phil Brown's men on his own.

He was instrumental in the build-up to O'Connor's goal and showed signs on his first full start that he will be a handful for defenders.

McLeish knows he has a possible star on his hands. The Blues paid pounds 1million to sign Benitez from Santos Laguna for 12 months, with the option of a permanent move for about pounds 7m should he impress and suffer no repeat of the serious knee problem that held up the full deal in the first place.

McLeish said: "The wee man came alive when he got the bang on the head. He was finding his feet but you saw what type of character he is, a South American tough little guy and willing to do his bit for the team.

"He became very dangerous.

He shows spirit and resilience. He was on the radar a long time ago and the only chance to see him was on the South American shows late at night and DVD stuff.

"I still wanted to see him in the flesh, but David Sullivan wanted to take the chance and if the chairman is going to give me players, I'll not argue, especially if he is a player of that potential.

"We've resilience in a bunch of guys who are extremely committed.

We need to get players back because these guys cannot do that at that level every week and they will get injuries.

"A result like this puts everybody in an urgent mood to get off that treatment table."

Despite horrendous injury problems and sickness depriving McLeish of a number of first-choice players, he still fashioned a team more than a match for the Tigers.

Benitez ran amok in attack while the midfield and defence worked solidly as units.

Three superb saves by Myhill from Benitez kept Brown's men in the game. But Birmingham always had the edge and from a corner after Myhill had again denied Benitez, O'Connor - who had climbed off his sick bed and then the subs' bench to be involved - rose the highest to nod home.

Ibrahima Sonko almost snatched a point for Hull at the death but his header come back off the crossbar and was then scrambled to safety.

Myhill has his work cut out behind a suspect defence and said: "I won't criticise our fans for booing us off the pitch. We know we have to be better. We've got to fight for the club."

CAPTION(S):

BATTERED AND BLUE Benitez ran the show despite his head wound GOAL! Gary O'Connor leaps highest to score the winner for Birmingham in the second half GOT IT RIGHT Birmingham manager Alex McLeish