TAMIR Cohen could be in line to make his first Premier League start of the season against Birmingham City this weekend.

Doubts over Mark Davies’s fitness could mean the Israeli midfielder features from the start for the first time since last April, when he lined up against Aston Villa at the Reebok.

Cohen was not selected in Israel’s squad for their European Championship qualifiers against Georgia and Latvia but with Davies still struggling to overcome the ankle injury that forced him out of England Under-21 action last week and Stuart Holden out for the rest of the season, he could be Owen Coyle’s last midfield option available.

After the loss of his father, Avi, in late December, Cohen made an emotional return in Wanderers’ FA Cup third-round victory over York City.

He also featured as a substitute against Stoke City in the league, and came off the bench against Wigan in the cup. The 27-year-old also turned out for the reserves against Chelsea earlier this month. Centre half Zat Knight has returned to training, giving him an outside chance of hitting the target he had set for a first team return.

Knight said shortly after injuring his knee against Everton that he wanted to be back in contention in six weeks, and it is understood he has been in light training since the start of the week.

Coyle is also struggling for numbers at the back, meaning the big defender could be used on the bench even if he is not deemed fit enough to start at St Andrews.