Stoke maintained their Sky Bet Championship play-off push after coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Birmingham.

Phil Neumann's 71st-minute own goal cancelled out Tomoki Iwata's 42nd-minute header to make it seven points out of the last nine on the road for Mark Robins' side.

Stoke were good value for their point after forcing three excellent chances in the first half, including hitting the woodwork.

But Blues had two penalty appeals turned down and an Iwata effort disallowed, while Jay Stansfield missed a clear-cut opportunity.

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After Stoke's Bae Jun-ho and Blues' Paik Seung-ho had shots blocked, one of Blues' January signings Ibrahim Osman had the first on-target effort with a curling attempt straight at goalkeeper Tommy Simkin.

Stoke then had three chances to break the deadlock within a minute just before the mid-point of the first half.

Dangerman Sorba Thomas, who has scored nine goals this season, forced James Beadle to gather low at his near post with a low first-time shot.

Then Tomas Rigo's hooked volley hit the outside of the upright, before Tatsuki Seko's 25-yard left-footed drive whistled just wide.

Blues' on-loan midfielder Tommy Doyle had Simkin palming away a curling free-kick from near the corner flag as the hosts responded.

Stansfield was disappointed not to give Blues the lead on the half-hour mark.

The striker got the wrong side of Maxi Talovierov from Iwata's long pass to go clear on goal, but his scuffed shot hit Simkin's right leg.

Iwata then had the ball in the net when he tapped home Stansfield's cross from Doyle's free-kick but the referee had blown for a foul by Marvin Ducksch in the build-up.

Iwata nodded Blues in front with a cleverly-worked goal. The Japanese full-back headed home his second goal of the season from in front of the line after Stansfield pulled off unmarked at the back post to nod back Doyle's deep inswinging corner.

Blues had a penalty appeal turned down in the 48th minute after Osman fell under challenge from Thomas.

Osman was then well off target with an overhead kick after Iwata volleyed Kai Wagner's cross back into the danger area.

Stoke briefly had the chance to threaten but Lamine Cisse controlled Ashley Phillips's long pass poorly, allowing Neumann to clear.

The Potters levelled when substitute Aaron Cresswell's corner hit Neumann and went into his own net from close range.

Blues substitute August Priske appealed in vain for a penalty after falling from Phillips's challenge but the referee was unmoved.

Priske then missed the chance to win it when he curled straight at Simkin at the death.

The managers

Birmingham's Chris Davies:

"If that's a foul, what Ducksch has done there, then what their full-backs were doing to Priske… I don't know what this is because they were throwing him to the ground every time he was trying to run forwards.

"Ducksch just got his body in there so based on consistency, no, (it) definitely should not have been disallowed.

"The things that were happening to him in the game, that's not English football or the Championship.

"They are just blatant fouls. The Championship is physical but between the referee and the fourth official, they have to spot if a player is obstructing another or throwing a player to the ground."

Stoke's Mark Robins:

"We have to hang on to the coat-tails of the teams above us until we can get players back, but if we can, we can attack the top six.

"We are more than a match for anyone in this division. I still think we can get in the top six but we need our players back quickly.

"We have 12 players out and two more dropped out on the day (Ben Wilmot and Bosun Lawal), so we were down to the bare bones.

"We have no fit full-backs and two left-backs who can't last 90 minutes, which makes it very difficult tactically.

"Sorba Thomas came to see me offering to play up front, then threw his hat in the ring to play right-back.

"But in the first 25 minutes I thought there was only going to be one winner and if we'd have scored one, it would have given us the confidence."

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