Birmingham City 1-0 QPR: FLW report as Blues return to winning ways with narrow success vs Hoops | OneFootball

FLW report from St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park for this Championship fixture

Birmingham City returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park after suffering three losses on the spin beforehand.

Patrick Roberts' smart strike after six minutes ensured a 14th win of the season for Chris Davies' side, who, for large periods of the contest, had control over Julien Stephan's men, but couldn't find a second goal to ensure a form of breathing space.

Meanwhile, Rangers have now suffered five defeats in their past six Championship outings as a result, and have slumped further down the standings.

Birmingham City 1-0 Queens Park Rangers

Davies made six changes to his side from Saturday's defeat at Charlton, and one of those, Ibrahim Osman, looked to make an instant impact, seeing a low shot from inside the box blocked by Jimmy Dunne before a hanging cross of his had R's keeper, Joe Walsh, worried for a moment.

Blues were then rewarded for their positive start on six minutes when Roberts swept home his fifth of the season under Walsh from Osman's low cross after the Ghanaian had the beating of Amadou Mbengue.

A dramatic start in B9 continued inside the first 10 minutes, with the hosts aggrieved that Ronnie Edwards wasn't penalised for a potential handball as Paik Seung-ho shaped to shoot from 18 yards out.

The Rangers defender was then left a relieved man as his intended clearance from Christoph Klarer's flick was gathered by Walsh to prevent Blues from doubling the lead.

Osman continued to cause problems, and he was prevented from scoring his second Blues goal on 20 minutes when Walsh tipped his curling effort past the post, with the shot-stopper also equal to Roberts' low drive seconds later.

A smart run from Jay Stansfield on 28 minutes freed up space for Marvin Ducksch to fire towards goal from close range, only for the German to see his first-time effort fall wide of the target.

Blues continued to pepper Walsh's goal as the first half went on. Ethan Laird's deft flick from a Roberts corner hit the upright, before Jimmy Dunne's loose pass meant Walsh had to be alert to deny Stansfield from rounding him and doubling the lead.

Stephan's side continued to ride their luck in the dying stages of the first period, with Walsh smartly denying Stansfield who looked to strike across the keeper on the turn, with Osman's follow-up blocked by Dunne.

The Hoops' first shot of the night came two minutes into the second half, with Mbengue's long-distance strike going straight into the Tilton from 25 yards out.

Osman, again, had the full-back's number minutes later, but couldn't find the target after cutting inside and bending his effort towards Walsh's left-hand corner.

R's substitute, Rhys Norrington-Davies then saw a speculative effort deflected wide as the visitors continued to search for a route back into the contest, before Demarai Gray also went close with a lifted strike minutes after replacing Osman.

Harvey Vale tried his luck from the right-hand side of the Blues box with 19 minutes to go, but couldn't find the accuracy required to force James Beadle into his first save of the encounter. That, instead, would come three minutes later through Kwame Poku's fizzing strike.

Birmingham survived another scare with 10 minutes to go when a teasing cross from Vale was glanced wide by an unmarked Rayan Kolli. Carlos Vicente then went close to his first goal for the club as his close-range effort was deflected wide.

Rangers' travelling support then thought Poku had fired home a stunning equaliser with 89 minutes on the clock after the winger had evaded Jhon Solis' challenge. Unfortunately for them, the wide man could only find the side netting.

Gray then squandered a glorious chance to wrap up three crucial points for Blues in the play-off race after racing through on goal, but one goal was still enough for them to move up to 10th on 52 points, five points behind sixth-placed Wrexham, whilst QPR have dropped to 18th on goal difference.

Player Ratings

Birmingham City

James Beadle - 7

Tomoki Iwata - 7

Christoph Klarer - 7.5

Jack Robinson - 7.5

Ethan Laird - 7.5 (Panzo 64" - 6.5)

Jhon Solis - 7.5

Paik Seung-ho - 8

Patrick Roberts - 8.5 (Vicente 75" - 6.5)

Marvin Ducksch - 7 (Fujimoto 75" - 6)

Ibrahim Osman - 7.5 (Gray 64" - 7)

Jay Stansfield - 6.5 (Furuhashi 92" - N/A)

Unused Subs: R.Allsop, B.Osayi-Samuel, P.Neumann, A.Guernier

Queens Park Rangers

Joe Walsh - 6.5

Amadou Mbengue - 6.5

Jimmy Dunne - 7

Steve Cook - 7 (Norrington-Davies 58" - 6.5)

Jake Clarke-Salter - 6.5 (Hayden 78" - 6)

Harvey Vale - 6.5

Ronnie Edwards - 7

Jonathan Varane - 6.5 (Morgan 46" - 6)

Koki Saito - 6 (Kolli 46" - 6)

Paul Smyth - 6 (Poku 70" - 6)

Richard Kone - 6

Unused Subs: B.Hamer, K.Adamson, T.Smith, D.Bennie

Chris Davies reacts as Birmingham City return to winning ways vs QPR

Speaking post-match after a timely win, the Blues boss said: Yeah, I think it was a really important win.

"I think we've had a few punches in the face in the last 10 days or so, and I think it was a really important game to show character and bounce back, which we've always done.

"We did it in style. I think we were really good. We could have scored more than one goal," he added. "I think we had 21 shots at goal.

"I just like the way that we didn't look like a team that was low on confidence. We were like a team that really had that intent to go and hurt the opposition, which was really pleasing.

"I think they, obviously, were trying to nullify us or close the space. But, we opened it really well in the first half, and stretched them, got into good areas, one winger crossing for another winger, which is so pleasing.

"To score a goal, and we just got numbers in the box, and we looked a threat, so I was really pleased.

"I knew, as always, in those periods, that, 'come on, let's get that second goal' because, you know, the opposition always come back into it, but we didn't quite get it," Davies explained.

"But I was just really pleased with (the fact) that we looked solid defensively as well.

"It was much the same in the second half. I think we had a few little spells where they moved up the pitch, but it was just, could we get that second goal?

"We couldn't, but we did look like a team that was really fighting, working and together."

Julien Stephan reacts as QPR beaten by Birmingham City

Reacting to another frustrating defeat, Stephan said: "A very embarrassing first half for us.

"No quality, no intensity. I think we lost (in) the first three minutes, the first seven or eight duels. It's impossible to play football if you don't win your duels.

"(We) conceded the goal very quickly, and we dropped, in fact (for) a full half. It was better in the second half.

"I think the players who came on and collectively. It was better, but it's very difficult to get the result if you play only 45 minutes in this league, especially away from home, so we need to learn from that," he added.

"It was not the plan to play so low like this in the first half and recover the ball so low on the pitch and show a low intensity.

"Second half, I think the block played higher on the pitch with more intensity and more personality as well.

"The big problem in the first half is a lack of personality, and we know that we have a young group, young team.

"But in football, every time you have the opportunity, you need to show the personality that we need to have in this league, and it was not the case in the first half."

Attendance

The attendance at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park tonight was 25,212.