ROVERS remain rooted in the relegation places going into the international break after suffering a second straight Championship defeat on what developed into a thoroughly miserable afternoon at St Andrew’s.

Owen Coyle’s third-from-bottom side were very much in the match until the 64th minute when Stephen Gleeson got the goal he had been threatening all afternoon.

However after the recalled midfielder fired in-form Birmingham to a win which moved them back into the play-off places disappointingly Rovers lost their way.

They also lost three key players to injury and saw their manager come under fire from a section of the travelling support.

Rovers boss Coyle was subject to a series of disapproving chants after he was forced to substitute Marvin Emnes having earlier saw Danny Graham and Corry Evans also limp off.

Graham and Darragh Lenihan took the places of Sam Gallagher and Danny Guthrie as two changes were made to the team that had started the previous three league games.

Graham was swiftly into the action, flicking on a free kick that Emnes just failed to get on the end of, before setting his strike-partner clear with a sharp pass.

Emnes bore down on goal but just as he was about to pull the trigger the ball was taken off his toe by Ryan Shotton.

Lancashire Telegraph:

Graham then showed strength in the middle of the pitch to lay the ball off to Ben Marshall whose attempted through pass was cut out by David Davis. It was a crucial interception as Craig Conway would have been clear.

Birmingham threatened next as on-loan Burnley striker Lukas Jutkiewicz headed over a corner from David Cotterill, who then teed up Gleeson for a shot which he should have kept down.

A fifth yellow card of the campaign for Rovers captain Jason Lowe followed, meaning he will be suspended for the home clash with Ipswich Town in a fortnight’s time, and soon after Lenihan also went into the book. Both were needless cautions.

Both teams also continued to carve out openings with Emnes meeting Marshall’s deep cross, only to steer his header wide, and Jacques Maghoma seeing a deflected drive drift into Jason Steele’s hands after Lenihan, and then Evans, gave the ball away carelessly.

Birmingham striker Che Adams was not far away in the 38th minute before Graham volleyed a chipped Derrick Williams cross high, wide and none too handsome.

There was still time for two more opportunities before an even opening period was out. Firstly the dangerous Cotterill crossed for Jonathan Grounds, whose header may have troubled Steele had it not hit team-mate Maghoma, before Tommie Hoban nodded a Conway free kick wide. It was a good chance.

Another followed five minutes after the restart, but at the other end, as Gleeson rifled over Jacques Maghoma’s cross. Again, he should have troubled Steele.

Adam Legzdins was called into action moments later when he flew to his right to push a superbly struck Emnes effort past the post. It was a stunning save.

And an important one, too, as after Legzdins made a more routine stop from Evans, Birmingham netted what proved to be the winner.

Rovers, one of only two clubs in the Championship yet to keep a clean sheet, could not say they had not been warned as Gleeson arrived untracked at the edge of the box.

And this time he made no mistake as he crashed Cotterill’s pull-back emphatically past Steele. It had all come from a poor Lenihan pass.

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Coyle, having already had to bring on Gallagher for Graham, then had to take off Evans and Emnes for Guthrie and Elliott Bennett.

That latter substitution did not go down well with some of the 555 visiting fans with cries including ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ being aimed in Coyle’s direction.

The enforced changes did little to wake Rovers, who were shown six yellow cards by whistle-happy referee James Linington, from their second-half slumber.

One side were doing all the running and Shotton volleyed a Cotterill corner straight at Steele.

And Birmingham, who are now unbeaten in seven matches, went closer still when Cotterill smashed an angled volley on to the post with Jutkiewicz seeing the rebound blocked by the Rovers goalkeeper. 

While there was no further insult, there was further injury, as Gallagher sustained a nasty gash to his head, which ensured nearly 10 minutes of injury-time was played.

And in the final of those minutes Steele came up for a free kick and a corner which he twice nearly got his head to.

MATCH FACTS

Birmingham: Legzdins, Spector, Morrison, Shotton, Grounds, Cotterill, Davis (Robinson 90), Gleeson, Maghoma (Wiggins 85), Adams (Fabbrini 63), Jutkiewicz. Subs not used: Trueman, Stewart, Storer, Brown.

Booked: Shotton.

Goal: Gleeson 64.

Rovers: Steele, Lowe, Greer, Hoban, Williams, Marshall, Lenihan, Evans (Guthrie 68), Conway, Emnes (Bennett 74), Graham (Gallagher 55). Subs not used: Raya, Samuelsen, Akpan, Brown.

Booked: Lowe, Lenihan, Graham, Marshall, Guthrie, Hoban.

Referee: James Linington.

Attendance: 16,871 (555 away).