A Cameron Jerome goal saw Birmingham beat Stoke at the Britannia Stadium and continue their fantastic run in the top flight.
Jerome effort proves difference at Britannia
A Cameron Jerome goal saw Birmingham beat Stoke at the Britannia Stadium and continue their fantastic run in the top flight.
Stoke's Ryan Shawcross had the best opportunity to score in the first half but failed to connect from two yards from a corner.
But Birmingham took the lead five minutes after the restart when Jerome slotted home from close range after Roger Johnson's header hit Shawcross and went into the striker's path.
Blues goalkeeper Joe Hart then pulled off two fantastic saves to deny Matthew Etherington and Abdoulaye Faye as Birmingham held on to make it 11 games unbeaten in the top flight.
This run equals the club's longest stretch without defeat in the top flight going back 101 years to 1908.
Remarkably, on that occasion Birmingham were relegated, but there is surely no chance of that happening this time around after a run of seven wins and four draws to lift the Blues up to seventh.
As the final whistle sounded there were boos and jeers from the Stoke fans, in contrast to those from the visiting supporters who chanted "We are unbeatable".
Unlike Birmingham, who have 32 points from 20 matches, Stoke face certain relegation trouble unless they find a cure for their ills in front of goal.
Boss Tony Pulis has made it clear that unless his side improve on a woeful tally of just 15 goals in 19 matches - failing to score in five of their last six - then a battle to beat the drop beckons.
Customary effort aside on a bitterly-cold afternoon at the Britannia Stadium, there was little to commend in the opening 45 minutes.
Shaved it
Stoke certainly shaved it in terms of possession, but when neither goalkeeper had even a routine save to make, it gives some idea as to the relatively tame fodder that was served.
The home side are wholly reliant on their set-pieces - Liam Lawrence and Etherington with corners delivered from the flanks, and the typically booming throws from Rory Delap.
Lawrence and Delap were two of the five changes made by Pulis from the side beaten 2-0 at Manchester City on Boxing Day.
Three were enforced with Glenn Whelan and Salif Diao suspended, and Andy Wilkinson out with an ankle injury sustained at Eastlands, whilst Mamady Sidibe and Danny Collins were benched.
In replacing Sidibe, Pulis handed James Beattie his first start for six matches, yet the striker, who was involved in an infamous bust-up with his manager at the start of the month, barely saw the ball prior to his departure on the hour.
The Blues certainly came under pressure early on as Lawrence and Delap peppered the area with corners and throws, only to meet a resilient Birmingham defence, the cornerstone of their current rise.
Shawcross had the best of the first-half opportunities as he was allowed to run unopposed onto a Lawrence delivery into the near post, only to glance his header through the six-yard box, while he then missed a chance to score from two yards from another corner.
There were also half chances for the Potters in the closing 15 minutes of the half, with Shawcross ballooning a header wide and Etherington putting a rising 20-yard half volley just over.
As for Birmingham, they had to wait until the 30th minute to chalk up their first effort anywhere near Thomas Sorensen's goal, and even then Jerome dragged his shot hopelessly wide from just inside the area.
There was one goalmouth scramble as Stoke finally came
