Birmingham City 1-0 Ipswich Town - Match Report Saturday, 31st Mar 2018 17:14 Jota’s controversial 21st-minute penalty saw Birmingham City to a 1-0 victory over the Blues at St Andrew’s. Jacques Maghoma appeared to go to ground very easily when challenged by Cameron Carter-Vickers to win the spot-kick, while the Blues, who are now without a goal in four games, rarely looked like getting back on terms. Town boss Mick McCarthy, who confirmed he'll be leaving the Blues at the end of the season on Thursday, named the same team which lost 1-0 away at Bristol City prior to the international break. Bartosz Bialkowski was in goal with Carter-Vickers, skipper Luke Chambers and Adam Webster the back three and Jordan Spence and Jonas Knudsen the wing-backs. Cole Skuse was in central midfield behind Callum Connolly and Grant Ward with Martyn Waghorn and Freddie Sears up front. Mustapha Carayol was back among the subs after his groin problem, while Australian striker Ben Folami, 18, was also on the bench. Birmingham made one change from the team which started against Hull City in their 3-0 win a fortnight ago with David Davis returning for the injured Craig Gardner. Ex-Blues loan keeper David Stockdale started for the home side, while Midlanders’ skipper Michael Morrison is from Suffolk having been born in Bury St Edmunds. Knudsen hooked away Maxime Colin’s second-minute knockback from a freekick from the edge of the six-yard box, then on three Jota shot well wide after Chambers had given the ball away. Birmingham continued to present the greater threat and on 10 Lukas Jutkiewicz was fed in on goal on the left of the box but Bialkowski forced him wide and then Carter-Vickers stabbed out for a corner. From the resultant flag-kick taken by Jacques Maghoma, the ball was cleared to Davis on the edge of the box from where he volleyed powerfully wide. Town, who had put themselves under pressure by needlessly giving the ball away in the early stages, didn’t threaten until the 15th minute when Ward sent over a deep cross from the right which found Knudsen. The Dane, who picked up his third full cap earlier in the week, opted to try to play inside to Waghorn rather than shooting himself, which looked the better option, but was unable to find the Blues striker. On 18 Sears almost profited from some defensive hesitancy by Morrison as a ball was played over the top but the home skipper recovered to slide the ball away from the Blues striker. Town had begun to make some headway going forward but in the 21st minute they went behind via a debatable penalty. Maghoma burst past Carter-Vickers on the Birmingham left and as the on-loan Tottenham defender sought to get back the DR Congo international appeared to throw himself to ground. Referee Roger East pointed straight to the spot. After lengthy and vehement protests from the Town players, Jota stepped up and beat Bialkowski to his left. There had been contact between the players but Maghoma looked to have gone down almost wholly under his own steam. Connolly’s shot from the edge of the area was blocked on 24 as the Blues looked to get back into the game. Five minutes later, Bialkowski reacted superbly to save Che Adams’s shot which had taken a deflection with his foot as Birmingham continued to create most of the game’s few chances. On 37 Maghoma’s corner from the left looped beyond Bialkowski, who was being blocked off by a number of home players, and Morrison nodded wide as the ball bounced up to him. Town failed to make much of a freekick from a promising position outside the area to the right moments before the half moved into one minute of uneventful injury time. Despite the contentious nature of the penalty, the home side deserved their lead at the break having most of the few opportunities during what had been a scruffy half. Town had never really looked like scoring, Knudsen choosing not to shoot when having the clearest opportunity. Five minutes after the restart Spence headed wide from a Knudsen cross, then three minutes later the ex-West Ham man looped another header from a left-wing cross over. Moments later, Bersant Celina replaced Ward. On 57 Sears was sent away on the right but his shot from the edge of the box was diverted behind. From the corner, Knudsen blazed deep into the stand behind the goal after the ball had been cleared out to him. Birmingham defender Harlee Dean picked up the game’s first booking for knocking Bialkowski over as he looked to clear quickly following a corner. The Blues continued to show a little more attacking endeavour than they had in the first half with Spence seeing an effort blocked after Celina had fed him having been crowded out. At the other end, Adams was sent away on the left of the box by Maghoma but scuffed tamely wide as Bialkowski advanced off his line. The game was starting to open up and in the 63rd minute the Blues weren’t too far away from an equaliser. Celina’s clever pass found Waghorn on the left of the box from where the former Rangers man unleashed a shot which Stockdale could only palm away, fortunately for him over Connolly at the far post. At the other end Jota smashed a shot into the stanchion, before Skuse was booked for a foul on Jutkiewicz. On 71 Luke Hyam took over from Connolly. Birmingham were looking the more likely scorers of the game’s second goal as it moved into its final quarter of an hour, Bialkowski tipping Jutkiewicz’s header from Jota’s corner from the right over the bar. A minute later, aft Carayol took over from Sears. Carayol immediately made an impact, crossing for Hyam but just behind the midfielder who could only turn the ball against a defender, off himself and then behind. On 80, after Davis had been booked for dissent, Cheikh Ndoye replaced Maikel Kieftenbeld for the home side. Six minutes later Josh Dacres-Cogley took over from Jutkiewicz. Webster was booked for a foul on Maghoma in the penultimate minute with the Blues continuing to push for an equaliser, albeit unconvincingly. Just prior to the fourth official indicating four additional minutes, Maghoma was swapped for Jason Lowe. Keeper Bialkowski came up for a late, late corner which came to nothing and seconds later referee East ended the game. While Town were a slightly improved attacking prospect after the break, they still rarely looked like getting anything from the match and it was little surprise that they were unable to find the net for a fourth successive game with their most recent goals at Sheffield Wednesday on March 6th. The Blues’ best chance was of ending that wait for a goal was Waghorn’s strike which Stockdale saved, but other than that it’s difficult to recall many other clear-cut opportunities. Town battled away gamely as they always have under McCarthy, and there was no sign of tools being downed after this week's announcement of the manager's exit, but as so often quality didn't match their endeavour, certainly not in the final third. The result moves Birmingham out of the bottom three, while Town, whose season has effectively been over a for a few weeks, are 13th following the weekend fixtures with Millwall at Portman Road on Monday. Birmingham: Stockdale, Harding, Morrison (c), Dean, Colin, Jota, Kieftenbeld (Ndoye 80), Maghoma (Lowe 90), Davis, Jutkiewicz (Dacres-Cogley 86), Adams. Unused: Kuszczak, Roberts, Bailey, Boga. Town: Bialkowski, Carter-Vickers, Chambers (c), Webster, Spence, Skuse, Ward (Celina 55), Connolly (Hyam 71), Knudsen, Waghorn Sears (Carayol 76). Unused: M Crowe, Hyam, Gleeson, Kenlock, Folami. Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire). Att: 20,555 (Town: 769).
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