David Dunn came off the bench to win a point for Birmingham at Wigan yesterday.
Dunn had only been on the pitch 12 minutes as Bruce brought on the midfielder and Mikael Forssell in the hope of salvaging something from a game in which Wigan had taken a 49th-minute lead through Andreas Johansson.
Dunn was in the right place at the right to haul City level, and manager Steve Bruce said: "It's been a huge week after what happened against Liverpool (losing 7-0 in an FA Cup tie) and then losing 3-0 at Manchester United after that.
"Fair play to the players because they have rolled up their sleeves and regained their pride.
"If they keep showing that spirit, we get a bit of luck, and I am able to bring on substitutes like Dunn and Forssell then that will help our cause.
"David has played just two 90 minutes in two years for us, which is quite remarkable.
"You can see when he comes on just what a talent he is - a huge talent.
"If it had not been for his injuries, then he can play on any stage and at any level.
"He was a big signing for us. At £5million that's a fortune for this club, but he has been blighted by his injuries.
"We can only hope he stays fit and he rids himself of the horrible problems he has had."
The last week represents a remarkable turnaround for Bruce and his City side and he added: "People were writing us off just a couple of weeks ago, but it has been quite a response.
"In fact, we are a little bit disappointed with this result because I thought Wigan were there for the taking.
"We felt we could have nicked it. That was my gut feeling, but we are pleased with a point away from home."
Dunn had only been on the pitch 12 minutes as Bruce brought on the midfielder and Mikael Forssell in the hope of salvaging something from a game in which Wigan had taken a 49th-minute lead through Andreas Johansson.
Dunn was in the right place at the right to haul City level, and manager Steve Bruce said: "It's been a huge week after what happened against Liverpool (losing 7-0 in an FA Cup tie) and then losing 3-0 at Manchester United after that.
"Fair play to the players because they have rolled up their sleeves and regained their pride.
"If they keep showing that spirit, we get a bit of luck, and I am able to bring on substitutes like Dunn and Forssell then that will help our cause.
"David has played just two 90 minutes in two years for us, which is quite remarkable.
"You can see when he comes on just what a talent he is - a huge talent.
"If it had not been for his injuries, then he can play on any stage and at any level.
"He was a big signing for us. At £5million that's a fortune for this club, but he has been blighted by his injuries.
"We can only hope he stays fit and he rids himself of the horrible problems he has had."
The last week represents a remarkable turnaround for Bruce and his City side and he added: "People were writing us off just a couple of weeks ago, but it has been quite a response.
"In fact, we are a little bit disappointed with this result because I thought Wigan were there for the taking.
"We felt we could have nicked it. That was my gut feeling, but we are pleased with a point away from home."
