Radhi Jaidi has promised to keep jumping up if it keeps Birmingham City from going down. The Tunisia defender has claimed unorthodox goal assists in each of Birmingham's past two home matches by taking offside positions and distracting the opposing goalkeeper as team-mates have scored from free kicks.

Birmingham visit Fulham today in what Jaidi admits is his most important game in English football and, as his antics are within the letter of the law, the former Bolton Wanderers centre back will be jumping up and down in Kasey Keller's line of vision if Alex McLeish's team win a free kick within shooting range today.

“There's no rule on this,” he said. “I can stay wherever I want on the pitch when there's a free kick. I can stay even in the goal, as long as I don't actually touch the goalkeeper. But if I am standing in the wall, looking at the goalkeeper, and it helps my team to go up, I will keep doing it the next game, and the game after.”

Sebastian Larsson curled home a 30-yard free kick to put Birmingham 2-0 up against Liverpool in last Saturday's match that ended 2-2, while Mauro Zárate levelled against Everton a fortnight earlier and Jaidi insisted that it was his team-mates' skill rather than his weapon of mass distraction that gave Birmingham their reward. After the publicity his stunt provoked, Jaidi will look to check beforehand with Chris Foy, the referee, today that he will not be penalised.

“It was Kevin Nolan's idea at Bolton but he wasn't [as conspicuous] as me,” Jaidi explained. “Maybe that's why Bolton didn't score from free kicks. We have good players on the free kicks. It was magnificent when you see Zárate and Larsson scoring. They don't need my help. But I try to help by my way, the Tunisian way, maybe.”

Birmingham need to beat Fulham today to be certain of taking their survival hopes to the last day of the season. Should they lose, and Reading and Bolton win, they will make an immediate return to the Coca-Cola Championship. Jaidi will take no pleasure but feel no pain if, however, Birmingham prevail and Bolton are relegated instead.

“It is a team I played for but it's changed a lot now,” he said. “They are in the same situation as my [present] team, so for the moment I do not have any feelings for them. The only thing I'm thinking of is keeping Birmingham up. I don't think about Bolton. It's between us, of course, but what can I do? Life is like that. You have to fight for yourself.” Jaidi insists that all is fair in football and war. “I don't mean war in going and kicking or fighting someone,” he said. “When you think of the soldier going to war, he is going to protect his country, to see his family and country happy. When I hear the final whistle, if I feel as if I've died, as if I can't do more than that, that's what I want to feel. After that, we can see the result.”

McLeish waits on fitness tests for Stephen Kelly and Mehdi Nafti but has the consolation of being able to recall Damien Johnson, the captain, after a three-match suspension as Birmingham seek their first away win since the manager's first match in charge, a 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in November.

“I think it's wrong to say we're a fragile team,” Johnson said. “I don't think we get bullied. Maybe on the odd set-piece, which has been an Achilles' heel for us, but generally in open play

we've been hard to break down. I don't agree that there's something wrong with us, that we're brittle. The boys have put in some really good performances against some of the best teams in the league and not been found wanting.

“We know what's required and we know it's going to be difficult. The onus is just as big on Fulham and Bolton, and Reading have to get results, too. Our confidence remains good and we have to stand up and be counted. I'm sure we will be ready.”