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JACK PARKINSON-BLACKBURN is desperate to win his first Midlands derby as Birmingham's club captain.

The Surestop Brummies host Cradley at Perry Barr on Wednesday night knowing a victory by seven points or more would move them back on level points with their rivals in the National League standings.

Said Parkinson-Blackburn: "This is such a big meeting for everyone at Birmingham and it's probably the main one our fans want to win every year.

"I'm really looking forward to being captain and doing the coin toss against my old team-mate Tom (Perry - former Birmingham skipper).

"If I could chip in with double figures and the rest of the boys do their job then it would make me very proud to be captain in a derby win.

"It's a great honour to be named captain of a club which feels like home to me and if we could beat Cradley then that could really kick us on for the rest of the season."

The 16-year-old is also gearing up for a big night in Plymouth on Thursday as he lines-up in the British Under-19 Championship.

Parkinson-Blackburn narrowly missed out on a rostrum place last year but says it would be an even bigger achievement if he managed it this time around.

He said: "The line-up was strong last year but it's even tougher this season!

"There's some really good riders in it who are in some great form so it should be a good meeting for the fans.

"I'm not putting any pressure on myself but I am going there with a bit of confidence.

"I came back from my period of inactivity a few weeks ago and it's taken me a few meetings to get back into it.

"But at Plymouth for Birmingham last week I felt much better so hopefully I can perform similarly again on Thursday ."