[themaclad]

Birmingham City 1 Stansfield Preston North End 0

Birmingham City line-up: Ruddy; Laird, Aiwu, Sanderson, Buchanan; Paik (Šunjić, 90+2), Bielik; Miyoshi (Anderson, 81), James (Dozzell, 54), Bacuna (Gardner, 90+2); Stansfield (Hogan, 81). Subs not used: Etheridge, Roberts, Drameh, Dembele.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Whatmough, Lindsay, Hughes; Holmes (Seary, 90+2), McCann, N.Mawene (Millar, 62), Brady; Frøkjær (Woodburn, 62), Riis (Osmajić, 74), Keane (Stewart, 74). Subs not used: Cornell, Cunningham, Storey, Best.

Attendance: 24,511 (1,389 PNE fans).

Referee: Mr O Langford.

On a day when play off rivals Norwich, Coventry and Hull all lost, we had a chance to put us closer to the play offs but in traditional North End stylee we lost as well.
Slightly understrength due to illness and injury but in truth be tols this was a poor performance and they wanted it more than us as teams at the bottom usually do.
Mawene made his first start and looked what he was a very inexperienced player at Championship level, he is a prospect but this was a hard afternoon for him. Holmes at right wing back had his work cut out aginst Bacuna , midfield was non existant and so was the service to the front line.
After the usual tortuous crawl down the M6 took nearly three hours to get there, our support swelled the crowd to the biggest they had had this season. Noisy atmosphere to begin with although once the game started that died a bit.
Little to enthuse in the opening period although we started the better, a brief passage of home pressure brought a shot from Bacuna aved by Woodman and an effort from Miyoshi which went narrowly wide.
The yellows finally woke up from their slumber Mawene scuffed a shot, then there wwere two great chances Mads FJ ina great position chose to pass instead of shooting, same with Brady although he did get a shot on target which was easily saved by Ruddy.
On the stroke of half time Buchanan narrowly wide for the Blues.

Did admire the optimism of two young fans who wanted players shirts signs with them given they were on the 22nd row might have taken some seeing especially the one who wanted Woodman's shirt given the keeper would be at the other end the pitch.
The second half began with the ever inept Mr Langford inventing a new rule. Tackle on the edge of their penalty area, City playing lies on the floor of the pitch we take a quick throw Riis in on goal he stops play, wasn't a head injury less than impressed.
The game by now had become dire and it looked as both sides could play until the end of time without scoring and then City scored
About 6 years ago we conceded a 50 yard own goal at this particular ground, this matched it for comedy value.
Ball out of defence down City's right wing first Woodburn slips as he goes for the ball, then Lindsay does the same, Stansfield is left on his own in our half near the centre line with only Woodman in front of him, didn't take a genius to work out was would happen and sure enough bottom left corner, Blues 1 up.
We offered little after that although Milar did cause them some problems when he came on, Gardner nearly made it two but they deserved the win.
Put it down to experience, Watford next Bowler Hat day

Birmingham City interim boss Gary Rowett told BBC Radio WM:

"After the way the QPR game ended and the quick turnaround, it might have been easy to feel a bit sorry for ourselves.

"But we had a good energy about us. And it was just moments when we nearly got there before the goal finally came.

"When you're a young player, who has been frustrated recently, it would have been easy to panic and lose composure with so much time to think but Jay Stansfield showed what a natural finisher he is and found the bottom corner. He showed a bit of balls.

"It was an important three points. There's no feeling like winning games - the feeling from the crowd after the game, the feeling after the final whistle, the feeling as a player coming back into the dressing room."

Preston manager Ryan Lowe:

"We can't legislate for that slip. It cost us a point, minimum.

"But we could have had the game out of sight in the first half when we had two glorious chances to score and it would have been a potentially game-over situation at 2-0.

"My centre-half, who has been outstanding all season, slipped at the wrong time. And if you give a player of that calibre a one-versus-one he will have every chance of scoring.

"We did everything we could, but decision making and a lack of quality has cost us."

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Forgot to add neither side had a corner