SPOONER IN A CALL FOR CALM

BIRMINGHAM desperately need some stability in the dugout, interim boss Steve Spooner said after this deadlock.

Spooner has seen five permanent bosses since his last spell as caretaker manager in July 2020.

Spooner, who will revert to his Under-21 role once Tony Mowbray takes over, has been at Birmingham for 18 years and says the revolving manager’s door has held the Blues back.

“As a Blues fan, I want to see the right person come in and get this club going. There are a load of things that go into the equation of making it right,” he said.

Birmingham were much more committed against Hull and looked to have booked a place in the fourth round thanks to Lukas Jutkiewicz’s 18th-minute header.

But with 87 minutes on the clock Matty Jacob equalised when Neil Etheridge spilt Aaron Connolly’s shot.

Spooner (above) said Birmingham’s improved display after the car crash of Wayne Rooney’s 15 games in charge gives the new manager a solid platform. “There’s a squad there that has some quality in it,” he said. “I just hope they take some confidence from this performance going into the next game for the new manager.”

Hull’s Jacob scored in his first start for the Tigers to maintain a proud family tradition – the defender’s grandfather Geoff Barker played for them as a winger between 1969 and 1970.

“This is what I’ve dreamed of since I was about five years old,” he said. “There were a lot of emotions pouring into one and I just sprinted after I scored.

“I’ve got a thing on my wall of all my grandad’s appearances and teams he played for and my goal today makes it a very proud day for the whole family.”