Birmingham City

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies spoke to BBC Radio WM after the 3-0 win over Millwall lifted Blues up to second in the Championship.

"Getting a margin in a game is wonderful because you have a cushion to work with. Getting a goal after a minute... it's a great strike," Davies said.

"We were well worth it. We were fluid, aggressive in the press, and didn't give them time or a lot away. It was an excellent first half. The second half could have been better, in patches, but I am pleased overall.

"Millwall are a very good team and tricky to play against, with big, strong centre-backs, but there was space around them to exploit. This season we look better at set-pieces but also on counter-attacks.

"The league table is temporary at the moment. Two years ago when I came in, this club had been relegated out of the league and were in League One. We have come a long way since then.

"We feel we deserve to be where we are. There is a long way to go but it is nice for us to be up and around the top part of the league and we need to do our best to stay up there."

Listen to Chris Davies' full post-match interview above or on BBC Sounds here.

Both Birmingham City and Millwall returned to winning ways in the Championship at the weekend and meet in the Midlands on Tuesday night (20:00 GMT).

Blues have won only two of their six home games so far this season but are one of four Championship sides yet to be beaten by an away side.

• Birmingham have won just two of their past 13 league games against Millwall (D6 L5), though one of those was a 4-0 victory in this exact fixture last season.

• Millwall are winless in six away league games against Birmingham, with five consecutive draws being followed by a 4-0 loss last season.

• Birmingham are unbeaten in nine home league games (W5 D4), beating Preston 4-0 and QPR 3-0 in their past two. They last won three in a row without conceding in the second tier (or higher) in March 2009.

• Millwall have lost three of their past five away league games (W1 D1), more than they had in their previous 16 on the road (W9 D5).

• Millwall have scored first in five of their six Championship away games so far this season, but have failed to win more of those (D1 L2) than they've won (2).

Kym Smith
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

Our last away outing to Cardiff had been underwhelming in many ways, not least of which that we seemed to forget to turn up.

Lincoln City presented an opportunity to put things right before we face two very tough home games.

We always seem to take a few minutes to get started and, to be honest, we rode our luck a bit when the Imps managed to bounce a shot off the post.

It was August Priske to the rescue again though - we'd missed him last Saturday and his two goals were instinctive.

The key point of the game was Lincoln getting one back almost immediately after our second goal.

Last season that would have induced some real anxiety in the squad and we mightn't have got much out of the game.

Our resilience is still improving and we were able to brush off a small setback and carry on pushing for three points.

Again, Jay Stansfield was instrumental in making the Blues press happen, and it was really bad luck that he wasn't on the scoresheet himself.

I think that now Priske is scoring, it is going to take the pressure off him and he'll start getting goals again.

And just for clarity, I think Ethan Laird was lucky to only get a yellow card.

The main concern from Saturday was James Beadle being subbed at half-time. Hopefully he will recover from his knock by Tuesday.

Ryan Allsop was perhaps unlucky with the Lincoln goal, but there will always be questions as to whether Beadle would have stopped that one.

However, Allsop's distribution is very good, which he demonstrated by providing the assist for Cochrane's first goal of the season.

We're back at home twice this week, but both of these games could be stinkers.

Millwall are a few points behind us but their team is packed with tall players that will really test us – and of course, we need to remember the danger of the returning player with Lyndon Dykes coming back to St Andrew's.

After that, we have to focus quickly and think about how to get past Swansea, who are still second despite a couple of recent losses.

Buckle up…

Hear and read more from Kym Smith on Birmingham Hospital Radio, external

Birmingham City returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory at Lincoln City in the Championship on Saturday.

We asked for the views of both sets of fans and here is a selection of what they had to say.

LINCOLN FANS

Paul - The big lesson to learn is that you have to take your chances in the Championship. Birmingham proved just that.

Nigel - Lincoln outplayed by a very good Birmingham side. The long ball tactics failed the mighty Imps. We make it hard for ourselves when we constantly gift the ball to the opposition.

Stephen - Played to their strengths, if the key moments in the match had gone our way the scoreline would have been so different. Ethan Laird should have been sent off for the high boot, Lincoln had a clear penalty refused.

Brian - If Lincoln drop down into the relegation places, they will not get out and will need new coach.

Steve - Lacking intent, width and any real idea.

BIRMINGHAM FANS

Richard - A game dominated by the long ball. First half was physical with a number of yellow cards and plenty of head tennis. Quality football was missing. Blues' centre-backs were excellent but we must get better to challenge for promotion.

Donald - Good win but keep the ball on the floor. All the best teams look to accurate passing and speed.

Patron - Well done you guys. Could be playing Villa next season with any amount of luck.

Bob - A great team performance.

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies spoke to BBC Radio WM after the win against Lincoln City. For a written selection of his quotes, click here

Image source, Shutterstock

Birmingham can establish themselves in the Championship promotion race if they can quickly rediscover their momentum, Blues podcaster Craig Courtney says.

Blues saw a three-match winning streak, and a five-game unbeaten run ended by a meek 1-0 defeat at Cardiff on Saturday but remain seventh in the table, just three points outside the automatic promotion places ahead of Saturday's trip to Lincoln (12:30 GMT).

Speaking on BBC Radio WM's football phone-in on Wednesday, Courtney of the Tilton Talk podcast said: "Saturday was a little bit of a glitch. We've just got to bounce back from what was a poor performance.

"Nobody is running away with [the league]. Every team seems capable of beating each other on the day. It's arguably the hardest league in the world.

"I think it could be us. It's all about momentum. Last season Coventry didn't have the strongest squad, they had momentum and camaraderie.

"It's not about having the highest-paid players; it's about a team that can be resilient, scrape a 1-0 and, when they need to, have a horrible game that everybody thinks was rubbish but you get three points out of it."

Courtney reckons boss Chris Davies would have given his players "a rocket" after Saturday's performance, adding: "Davies is not afraid to tell people when the team hasn't turned up.

"Some fans think he might be a little bit on the soft side, but I wouldn't have fancied being in the dressing room after a performance like that.

"We did miss August Priske; he's not the out-and-out goalscorer that we'd like, but he is a nuisance player and drags defenders all over the place, creating space and opportunities for other players.

"Luis Vasquez, for me, has got to show us what he's worth; at the moment we haven't seen that as fans. We've got to see that little bit more.

"Do we perhaps put Patrick Roberts in that Jay Stansfield role and perhaps put Stanno up front to try and create the nuisance?"

BBC Radio WM Football Phone-In is weeknights 6-7pm

Image source, Opta

Birmingham will seek to climb into the automatic promotion places in the Championship, for a few hours at least, as they visit Lincoln on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Blues lie seventh, despite seeing their winning run ended at Cardiff last time out, but could jump into second on goal difference if they can continue their impressive run of results at SIncil Bank.

The Imps have slipped to 15th after taking one point from four games prior to Saturday's thumping 4-1 win over beleaguered Burnley but could return to the top-half with a second straight home victory.

• Lincoln City have failed to win any of their past 16 league games against Birmingham City (D6 L10), losing both meetings in 2024-25 in League One when they last met.

• Birmingham City have lost just two of their 18 away league games against Lincoln City (W10 D6), a 3-1 defeat in March 1901 and 3-2 defeat in March 1910.

• After beating Burnley 4-1 last time out at Sincil Bank, Lincoln will be looking to win successive home league games in the second tier for the first time since September 1960.

• Birmingham have lost just two of their past 17 league games (W8 D7), though one of these defeats came in their last match at Cardiff (0-1).

• Birmingham have made just 13 starting XI changes in the Championship so far this season – four fewer than any other side in the competition (Blackburn on 17).

Aman Mahmood
BBC Sport England

Image source, Getty Images

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies is unsure whether striker August Priske will be fit for this coming Saturday's Halloween fixture against Lincoln City.

The Blues striker picked up a knock during the 3-0 home win over Queen's Park Rangers on 17 October and was replaced by Luis Vazquez for last Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Cardiff.

Davies told BBC Radio WM: "He felt something last week that he was trying to run off and it developed into something that was too much of a risk.

"Hopefully he's around for the next one but, if not, then the one after that."

The 6ft 5in Denmark forward, who signed from Swedish top-flight club Djurgardens in January, is Blues' overall top scorer this term with five goals, having found the net four times in the Championship and provided one assist.

Davies added that Saturday's loss of Priske was "a blow", adding: "You could see his presence, quality and mobility up there were missing."

Laura Kenyon
BBC Final Score reporter

Image source, Shutterstock

The performance against Cardiff has exposed an area of concern for Birmingham City: attacking quality.

The absence of it in Chris Davies' side was visible for all to see on Saturday. They never really looked like scoring.

Yes, two big chances were carved out at the end of the game. There were mitigating factors - including the awful conditions - but that 0.8 xG stat tells a story.

August Priske, the leading scorer with five goals in all competitions, picked up a knock in training. Fortunately for Birmingham, the suggestion is it's minor and the Danish striker should not be out for too long.

But what could have been a huge statement performance for summer signing, Luis Vazquez, fell flat. Priske's replacement up top failed to make an impact on the game.

So what are the options?

Davies could push Jay Stansfield further up the pitch. Vasquez could still come good. But the more likely plea from the fans will be adding another quality striker to their January shopping list.

Ged Scott
BBC Sport England

Image source, James Marsh - Shutterstock

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies had an unhappy return to his Welsh roots as Cardiff City dished out Blues' first defeat in six games.

A weekend that began with a chance to see his side go top of the Championship after a run of 13 points out of a possible 15 and three straight wins, ended with Davies's side slipping three places to seventh.

Middlesbrough's 5-1 Friday night win at Bolton meant that leading the division was off the agenda when they kicked off in South Wales.

But, with Swansea City and West Ham United both losing, a win at the Cardiff City Stadium would have lifted Blues to second.

As it was, Yousef Salech's 31st-minute winner in the pouring rain proved the game's key moment. And Blues, without injured top scorer August Priske, looked second best.

"It's a game I knew would be tough," Davies told BBC Radio WM after his side's first defeat since 9 September. "They play with a press and real energy.

"We expected more from ourselves. But the best team won. They deserved it.

"In any game, if you're second to the ball that much it's always going to be hard.

"Defensively we were very disorganised for the goal which is unlike us. We gave ourselves a big job to recover from that.

"We couldn't quite get going until the end. We couldn't get on top of them until the last 15 minutes or so when we might have nicked something.

"Every time we had possession of the ball there was a blue shirt on us. Too much of the play was around our half-way line. We couldn't get close to their box."

Image source, Opta

Birmingham City will hope to record a fourth Championship win on the bounce when they visit Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Victory for the fourth-placed Blues would make it their best winning run in the second tier since October 2018 when they also won four in a row.

The Bluebirds have enjoyed two good recent results, thrashing Watford 5-1 before picking up a 2-2 draw at promotion favourites Middlesbrough.

Brian Barry-Murphy's side start the weekend three points above the drop zone.

• Cardiff City have lost just one of their past 11 league games against Birmingham City (W7 D3), failing to score in just one of those matches.

• After winning their most recent away league game in this fixture 1-0 in December 2023, Birmingham City will be looking for successive away league wins over Cardiff City for the first time since December 1994.

• Cardiff are unbeaten across their past nine home league games (W5 D4), scoring 2.2 goals on average per game across that time.

• Birmingham City have won each of their past three league games without conceding; they last enjoyed a longer such run in November 2006 (run of five).

• Birmingham have conceded just six goals from open play in the Championship so far this season, with only West Ham United conceding fewer in the competition (5), while Blues rank sixth-best for open play xGA (8.9).

Image source, Shutterstock

Birmingham City winger Liam Millar says his excellent form is down to finding the "perfect" set up at Blues where he gets the "freedom to be me".

The Canada forward has scored four goals for Chris Davies' in-form side in his past four appearances, either side of the recent international break.

He scored in the 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough, put Blues on their way to a 4-0 win over Preston a week ago and grabbed two in Saturday's 3-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers.

Added to that were three assists earlier in September, to bring the 27-year-old's direct goal involvements to seven in his past seven matches.

Millar, who is with Blues for the rest of the season on loan from Premier League Hull City, told BBC Radio WM he has never felt more at home than at St. Andrew's.

"It's just the fact I can really express myself and be myself," he said.

"The gaffer gives me a lot of freedom to be me and I've never really had that in my career before where I've been able to really be able to express myself as much as I'm doing right now."

Millar also highlighted Blues development under Davies this season, including bringing more dimensions to their high-press style.

"A lot of it's down to the way that we play," he said.

"We play very good football and we have a good mix of going long and with the ball we're unpredictable.

"It's just all a perfect piece at the minute."

With Birmingham currently fourth in the Championship, three points behind leaders Swansea City, Millar is eyeing a second successive promotion, having won the play-off final with the Tigers last season.

He added he can see traits of that campaign brewing in his current dressing room.

"I see a lot of similarities between our team last year at Hull and this Birmingham team now," he said.

"Honestly, I feel really good about what's happening here so far.

"I'm just going to keep doing everything I can, and I'm sure the lads will do everything they can, to make sure that we get over the line this season and do what we all think we can do."

Kym Smith
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

Three games in a week, nine points, three clean sheets - this is not typical Blues.

Being a football fan is an odd thing; when things are going well, you move away from your usual state of depression into worrying about when the bubble is going to burst.

I will therefore put my natural pessimism aside and try to enjoy our purple patch.

Liam Millar has now clocked up seven goal involvements in seven games and I am hoping there is an option to get him on a permanent basis like we did with Patrick Roberts last season. His contributions on Saturday were one of the highlights of an excellent team performance.

To be honest, I had been eyeing this game as a tough one compared to Tuesday night's against Preston, as it was fourth v fifth and we were level on points with QPR.

As it was, their attacking outlets found themselves limited; Paul Smyth was muscled out of the game by Bright Osayi-Samuel, and the Christoph Klarer-Phil Neumann brick wall was very effective in limiting Kwame Poku and Rayan Kolli.

I also need to give a couple of other shout-outs to members of the team, first to Tomoki Iwata. He has been the subject of grumbling from some Blues fans, but set up both of Millar's goals and is playing some really good football at the moment.

Secondly, to Jay Stansfield. He is instrumental in the way Blues play the press, forcing opposition players into mistakes, such as the one that led to our first goal on Saturday.

Demarai Gray's stoppage-time goal was a thing of beauty, and the icing on the cake for this week. Right now, Blues are operating really well.

Players like Millar are being allowed to play with freedom and we seem to have taken a big step away from the 'possession but no outlet' football of last season that many fans were frustrated by.

Chris Davies did say he had learnt some lessons and so far, he is doing well putting them into practice. It is a thumbs-up from me.

Hear and read more from Kym Smith on Birmingham Hospital Radio, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's 3-0 win for Birmingham City over fellow fast-starters QPR.

Here are some of your comments:

Birmingham fans

Matt: We are absolutely flying! I doubted Chris Davies a few times, but right now he is working miracles! He really has this team ticking and I'm so pleased for him! Keep it up Blues!

George: Top, top, top performance from Blues. It's the best I've seen them play since we were in the Premier League.

Martin: Very impressive - Rangers very drilled, organised but no match for Millar's individual brilliance.

David: What a job Davies is doing, we look a completely different team from last season.

David Y: Outstanding performance. Keep this up and we will get automatic promotion.

Image source, Shutterstock

QPR fans

Ken: I do not understand why Paul Smyth is played on the left side when he performs so much better and is always a threat and gives us so much on the right. Stupid, I think. This happened many years ago with Jamie Mackie. Wrecked him. Probably end mid-table again when our squad of players are so much better then that. Stephan baffles me.

Colin: Rangers started the brighter of the two teams and if Boy Kemper had taken his chance after 10 minutes it might been a very different result. Birmingham took their chances and Rangers, while they played well, did not. Hopefully some of the injured players will be back next week for our home game against Swansea.

Gary: Stephan just got it so wrong! Kolli up front on his own. Smyth looked totally wiped, Kone is so unfit, formation wrong, narrow formation for a wide pitch, so we looked stretched… Should have played 5-3-2. Oh well… BCFC played well and look good!

Jim: Absolutely no consistency... much too early to sit on their laurels.

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