Birmingham breathed life back into their Championship play-off push after with a narrow but deserved 1-0 victory over QPR at St Andrew's on Wednesday night.

Patrick Roberts scored the only goal of the game in the sixth minute and that earned Chris Davies' side all three points to move them to within five points of the top six.

The Blues broke the deadlock quickly. Brighton loanee Ibrahim Osman skilfully gave Amadou Mbengue the slip on the left-hand side and guided the ball into the path of Roberts, who coolly finished first time beyond Hoops goalkeeper Joe Walsh.

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A host of Birmingham players were adamant that defender Ronnie Edwards had handled the ball in the penalty area when he sought to repel the onrushing Paik Seung-ho from meeting Jay Stansfield's pull-back, but referee Anthony Backhouse overlooked those appeals.

Paik's deep free-kick moments later was turned goalward at the back post, at full stretch, by the towering Christoph Klarer but claimed by Walsh - the latest opportunity was symbolic of Blues' early dominance as their beleaguered visitors struggled to get to grips with their tempo.

Walsh was again on hand to deny Birmingham when he tipped the lively Osman's deflected strike around the post and then - from the resulting corner QPR - forward Richard Kone nodded opposing number Marvin Ducksch's glanced header off the line.

The home side continued to look the likelier of the two outfits to score the match's second goal.

Makeshift left-back Ethan Laird rose high to meet Roberts' in-swinging corner and headed his effort against the near post and then, in the final minutes before half-time, both Stansfield and Osman on the follow-up were kept out with Birmingham hunting what would have been a deserving second.

The second half began with a similar theme; QPR - who lost the experienced Steve Cook to injury before the hour mark - struggled to make much of an impression in the final third but, by comparison, Birmingham continued to search for more attacking fortunes.

Osman bent an effort wide having collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area and then Ducksch, after more good work from Stansfield, dragged another opening wide.

QPR did muster a more meaningful attempt when substitute Kwame Poku teed up Harvey Vale, who cut inside and fired wide.

Later, Poku himself had an effort on goal with a rasping strike wide of the post, which had goalkeeper James Beadle at full stretch.

Despite Birmingham's dominance, the scoreline heading into the final 15 minutes remained a precarious one and the visitors were quite encouraged as they looked to work their way back in the game.

Blues might have killed the game on two separate occasions when both substitutes Carlos Vicente and Demarai Gray passed up breakaway opportunities.

One goal proved ultimately to be enough, however, for Birmingham to move up to 10th and leave QPR down in 18th after four-straight defeats.

The managers

Birmingham's Chris Davies:

"We've got 52 points now, the last time the team was in this league it got 50 points. For the last decade the team has been fighting relegation in this league.

"I think we're making great strides. I'm not thinking about anything other than the next game, I'm not thinking about play-offs, what I am thinking about is the strides we're making.

"As I've said all along and I will continue to say it, it was never going to be a stroll up to the Premier League.

"It's about competing in this division, making our mark, growing and with continuity and time we will get better and better. There's no doubt about it and that's what you have to do.

"If you look at all the teams at the top of the league they've been together for a few years and built. That's what we need to continue to do.

"If anything, tonight has been a big step forward because we're looking like a team that's going to be in this league next season."

QPR's Julien Stephan:

"Very embarrassing in the first half. There was no quality, no intensity. In the first three minutes I think we lost the first seven aerial duels. It's impossible to play football if you don't win your duels and we concede the early goal.

"It was better in the second half, but it's very difficult to get a result if you only play for 45 minutes in this league, especially away from home. We need to learn from this.

"We are completely aware of the situation. It's not time to panic. We know why, but we cannot complain.

"Some players will come back soon, but we have the same group until perhaps the international break.

"We must quickly find the solution, the personality on the pitch - when we do, we are able to do some good things on the pitch but we must do that from the first second."

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