Two goals in the first 14 minutes scored by Liam Ridgewell and Kevin Phillips all but sealed Birmingham's 2-1 home victory over the Blues at St Andrew's. Town were very much second best throughout with a late Alex Bruce header making the scoreline look closer than it ought to have been.
Jon Stead came back into the starting line-up for the injured David Norris, the former Sheffield United man joining Pablo Couñago up front in a two-man attack. Jon Walters moved to right midfield, while Alex Bruce continued to deputise for the injured Gareth McAuley. Moritz Volz was left out of the 16 despite returning from suspension.
The home side were off the mark much more quickly than the Blues, Sebastian Larsson making a break down the right and finding Lee Carsley on the edge of the area, the midfielder firing over.
On six Kevin Phillips, who came close to joining Town in the summer of 1997, had the ball in the net, but a linesman's flag had already been raised.
However, a Birmingham goal was only three more minutes in coming. A freekick on the right led to former Town man Marcus Bent's shot being blocked to an unmarked Liam Ridgewell eight yards out. The central defender lashed a shot across Richard Wright and into the net.
The goal was all the home side deserved having dominated the opening stages of the game with the Blues unable to gain anything in the way of a foothold.
In the 14th minute it was two. Larsson skipped past a lunging Thatcher, then sent in a sublime cross from halfway inside the Town half which found Phillips at the far post, the ex-England man nodding past a helpless Wright.
The game seemed to all intents and purposes over with Town having made no headway against a Birmingham side which was in total control. A minute later, Richard Naylor was yellow-carded by referee Rob Shoebridge for a foul on James McFadden.
Carsley limped off in the 28th minute, Mehdi Nafti taking over in the centre of a midfield which the home side were continued to dominate.
Town started to make some impression just after the half hour. Walters crossed from the right, Stead nodded the ball back across goal but Couñago and Garvan got in one another's way and the ball went wide of Maik Taylor's goal.
Moments later Walters had a shot blocked, then David Wright struck and effort which flew high and wide from a tight angle and never made it out of play.
But a goal would have flattered Town who had been second best throughout. The home side had come at the Blues from the off and deserved their goals. Town were on the back foot and for a while it was a concern how many Birmingham might score.
The Blues started the second half brightly with the same line-up. Town were close to getting a goal back two minutes in when Richard Naylor headed an Owen Garvan corner wide when left unmarked. The former striker, without a goal since November 2005, ought to have done better.
After a spell when they won a few more corners and had a fair amount of possession in dangerous areas, the home side regained control. On 56 Franck Queudrue cut in from the left and struck a shot which hit Richard Wright's crossbar.
James McFadden shot over just prior to the hour when Jim Magilton made a double substitution, Danny Haynes and Tommy Miller replacing Velice Shumulikoski and Jon Stead. Nine minutes later, Kevin Lisbie took over from Pablo Couñago.
Lisbie wasn't far away from pulling a goal back in the 78th minute but couldn't get enough on a Darren Ambrose cross to test Taylor.
Town did get the ball in the net with six minutes remaining. Ambrose sent in a corner from the left and former Birmingham player Alex Bruce flicked the ball home at the near post to grab his first goal for the Blues and the first by a Town central defender since New Year's Day.
Before Town could look to press for an equaliser, Phillips almost netted a third for Birmingham, his shot from the edge of the box flying narrowly wide.
The Blues never really looked like getting a second goal. Danny Haynes went well wide with what might have been a shot but equally could have been an overhit pass through to Lisbie. As time ticked away the former Colchester man shot well wide.
Town were very much second best to a Birmingham side who on this showing ought find themselves in the Premier League next season. The home side showed that bit more quality in all areas and in the end the 2-1 result flattered Town.
The Blues kept going and their persistence paid off with Bruce's late goal, but more than anything the game showed that Town have a long way to go before they can compete with the likes of Wolves and Birmingham for the automatic promotion places.
Town: R Wright, D Wright, Thatcher, Naylor, Bruce, Garvan, Shumulikoski (Haynes 61), Walters, Ambrose, Stead (Miller 61), Couñago (Lisbie 72). Unused: Supple, Balkestein. Att: 15,689.