Phillips 'frustrated' by campaign

Phillips has scored 13 goals for Birmingham this season

Top scorer Kevin Phillips says he has found his first season with Birmingham City "frustrating" even though the club are on the verge of promotion.

Blues will return to the Premier League if they beat Preston on Saturday.

The striker told BBC WM: "From my personal point of view it's been quite a disappointing season.

"I'm sitting top goal-scorer, but on 13 goals and for me that's not good enough. I haven't played as many games as I'd like to."

However, Phillips says he will refrain from taking his grievances to the manager Alex McLeish until the end of the season.

The last two or three months have been very frustrating for me. I haven't played anywhere near the amount of football that I want to, for whatever reason I don't know

Kevin Phillips

"It's not the right time to be knocking on the manager's door because the team and the club's far more important than myself," he said.

"I understand that, I'm too experienced for that, I wouldn't want to cause any problems.

"I'm just trying to help Birmingham gain promotion to the Premier League, so let's get this season out of the way, maybe have a long chat with the gaffer in the summer, and just see what his thoughts and plans are with me for next year, and we'll go from there."

Phillips has started 23 of Birmingham's 44 League games, but only one since tearing a hamstring in mid-February, and has been used sparingly following his return to fitness.

"The last two or three months have been very frustrating for me," the former England international said.

"I haven't played anywhere near the amount of football that I want to, for whatever reason I don't know.

"Let's get this season out of the way, get promoted, and we'll have a long hard think in the summer about what happens next year."

Phillips left West Bromwich Albion last summer following their promotion.

Blues offered him a two-year contract, and it was widely reported at the time that Albion had offered only one year, though the Baggies have since clarified that a second year was offered with conditions.

Phillips says that in a stark comparison with Albion's free-scoring promotion campaign, chances for him at Blues have been much harder to come by.

"For a centre-forward coming from a team that created four or five chances a game, it can be a bit frustrating. From a personal point of view, 13 goals, I suppose as a ratio per game is pretty good, but I would have loved to have broken the 20-goal barrier this year," he said.

"Overall, yes, from a club point of view and a team point of view it's been a good season. It hasn't been fantastic, the football's not been fantastic, but we're sitting second in the league with a chance to gain promotion and that's what we set out to do."

606: DEBATE

Have your say on Phillips' frustration

Phillips' departure from West Brom last summer angered many Albion fans but the striker does not believe he would have been able to save them had he stayed: "No, I don't think so. Everyone says if they'd have kept me, I'd have come off the bench and nicked five, six, seven goals, but I still don't think that would have been enough.

"I've watched them a fair bit this year, and they've just conceded too many goals. It's extremely hard in the Premiership because you don't get an awful lot of chances. I don't think if I'd have stayed there I would have made a hell of a difference."