After two weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, Cole finally made his debut against The Saints and played a big part in helping Blues get their automatic promotion bid firmly back on track. "We wanted him on the pitch. He had only trained for two days which was not ideal. But for him and Stephen Clemence to get off the treatment table and give it a real go was fantastic. "Andy has got so much experience that I had to take a gamble really, although not a gamble in terms of his ability. "The ball he put through for the second goal was typical of what Andy Cole can do as a footballer." "This league kicks you in the teeth. But now we have things back in our own hands. That's all you can ask for with four games to go. If we win the next four games, we are promoted. "I was looking for a response after last week's terrible results and I was very pleased. It's got a bit hairy at the end but we deserved to win the match comfortably."
"We all knew that Andy Cole was going to make a contribution. He had already made it with his presence around the dressing room," Bruce said after the 2-1 win.
Following the Easter weekend defeats against Burnley and Barnsley, Bruce was pleased with the response he got from the side against The Saints.
"After losing the two games over Easter, it was the worst I had ever felt in football as a player or a manager," he said.