BIRMINGHAM CITY are ready to make one final attempt to lure Middlesbrough's second-choice goalkeeper Mark Crossley to St Andrews.

The Blues travel out to Malaysia on Sunday to play in the Asia Cup - Newcastle United also also competing - and manager Steve Bruce is desperate to add a new shot-stopper to his squad before making the trip.

Crossley remains Bruce's top target, but Boro are insistent over a fee believed to be around £750,000.

And Birmingham are reluctant to pay that much for the 34-year-old, who only has a year left on his contract.

Bruce is already considering other goalkeepers to bid for if his final swoop for Crossley is rebuffed by Boro boss Steve McClaren.

Wimbledon's Kelvin Davis is thought to be next on the former Manchester United man's shopping-list and £250,000 could prove enough for the cash-strapped Dons to sell.

Bruce is hopeful of capturing one of the pair before they make the trip to the Far East.

"It's a priority to sign a new goalkeeper," he said. "I would like to get someone in before we go to Malaysia and hopefully that will happen.

"We have one or two irons in the fire and we'll see what happens in the next few days."

Meanwhile, McClaren has revealed it was always his intention to relieve Bill Beswick of his assistant managerial duties.

Sports psychologist Beswick, a former basketball coach, was surprisingly appointed as his right-hand man when the Boro boss took over two years ago.

"When I first came and I brought Bill in as my assistant, we knew it would probably be a two-year process of me adapting to management from coaching," McClaren said.

"We knew I needed help with that. Bill was brought in and gave me that help and we worked together very closely.

"I feel it's time he came away from that and concentrated on his great expertise, which is the psychology side of the game."

McClaren has also made ex-Blackburn manager Don Mackay head of recruitment and will be based at the Rockliffe Park training ground.

* Two of Boro's highly-rated youngsters are battling to play their parts in the UEFA Under-19 Championships this week

Left-winger Stewart Downing and centre-back Andrew Davies are hoping to be named in the starting line-up in England's opening Group B game against Austria tomorrow.