Steve Bruce endured an unhappy return to familiar surroundings as Birmingham City denied Hull City top spot in the Sky Bet Championship with a page from the visiting team’s own playbook.
Bruce’s team have become experts at defending, so much so that Jon Toral’s winning goal at St Andrew’s was the first that they had conceded in more than six hours of play. Yet while Hull have cemented their place among the frontrunners for automatic promotion, Birmingham have built an unexpected challenge for a place in the play-offs on similar foundations.
A sixth clean sheet in eight games, achieved with some good fortune, brave defending, fine goalkeeping by Tomasz Kuszczak and a penalty escape proved that Hull do not own the monopoly on miserly displays.
Bruce, though, ended the evening frustrated at St Andrew’s. One point or better would have edged his side above Burnley and back to the summit, but Toral’s deflected 14th-minute goal ended a record of 387 minutes without conceding for Hull. Kuszczak, the woodwork, and, in the view of Bruce, referee Stephen Martin, conspired to ensure that there would be no comeback. Martin denied Hull a penalty in the second half when Paul Robinson handled a shot by Abel Hernández after Jake Livermore and Michael Dawson had hit the frame of the Birmingham goal before half-time.
Then Kuszczak saved from Livermore, Robert Snodgrass and Sam Clucas to compound the Hull’s agony.
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“We have dominated, had 20 attempts on target but we cannot keep relying on Abel to score,” Bruce said. “You couldn’t say it was a bad performance, and it’s a stonewall penalty. You need the referee to do it his job and for both teams he didn’t do his job all night. All the others will have got a boost from it but we have 12 games to play.”
For Gary Rowett, the Birmingham manager, victory offered the chance for a dedication to his daughter on her birthday. “That would be right up there as a performance this season,” Rowett said. “Hull are the most complete team in the division. My daughter, Lily, is 16 today, and I obviously didn’t spend enough on her present, so she asked me to give her a mention if we won.”
Birmingham City (4-2-3-1): T Kuszczak — P Caddis, M Morrison, P Robinson, J Grounds — M Kieftenbeld, S Gleeson — D Cotterill (sub: D Davis, 76min), J Toral, J Maghoma — C Donaldson. Substitutes not used: A Legzdins, D Fabbrini, V Solomon-Otabor, J Spector, W Buckley, R Shotton.
Hull City (4-4-1-1): A McGregor — M Odubajo (sub: A Elmohamady, 76), C Davies, M Dawson, A Robertson — R Snodgrass, T Huddlestone (sub: N Powell, 59), J Livermore, S Clucas — M Diamé (sub: A Diomande, 59) — A Hernández. Substitutes not used: E Jakupovic, H Maguire, S Maloney, I Hayden.
Referee: S Martin.