NOW COTTERILL CAN BELIEVE AGAIN

BY ANY measure, 2017 was a bad year for Birmingham City. Over 12 months, they won nine league fixtures, went through three managers, narrowly avoided one relegation, and now face another battle to stay up as they sit bottom of the Championship going into the new year. Yet there is hope, as proved by a late but deserved win over promotionchallengers Leeds United. Play like this until May, and Birmingham will stay up. Manager Steve Cotterill spoke with passion and belief after seeing his side snatch an 83rd-minute winner when second-half substitute Jota shot from the edge of the area. His strike was parried by Leeds goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald, but fell to winger Jacques Maghoma, who planted the ball into the roof of the net. Cotterill said: ‘I’m pleased with the players, but really pleased for them. After about five minutes of today’s game, me, I felt as if we were going g to be OK. ‘Our fans won on us that game because they ey gave our players confidence. nfidence. ‘But the only ly thing this does is give us another nother three points.’ Cotterill has s the tools to keep Birmingham ngham up — on paper, one of the Championship’s hip’s best squads. David vid Stockdale made a crucial ucial save midway through the e second half, blocking Samuel amuel Saiz’s shot and sending g it spiralling on to the crossbar. sbar. In front of Stockdale, Harlee Dean n and Marc Roberts — a £3.5million recruit from Barnsley — are experienced Championship defenders who kept Leeds’ attack very quiet. Craig Gardner dominated the midfield, assisted well by Maikel Kieftenbeld. As for Jota, for 77 minutes he was a symbol of Birmingham’s season — no assists since August, a playmaker chased by Everton a few months ago, now dropped to the bench. By the final whistle he had shown why he — and his team — have more than enough to stay in the Championship.