Birmingham City were left frustrated after being held to a 1-1 draw by Stoke City at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park on Saturday, missing the chance to move within three points of the Championship play-off places.
Blues took the lead through Tomoki Iwata in the first half, but an unfortunate Phil Neumann own goal late in the game denied Chris Davies’ side all three points. Despite their strong home form this season, Birmingham were unable to capitalise in a match that offered little boost to either team’s promotion hopes.
Davies was particularly unhappy with a controversial first-half decision that saw an earlier Iwata goal ruled out. The midfielder had finished from a Jay Stansfield delivery, but the effort was disallowed due to a foul in the build-up by Marvin Ducksch — a call that left the Blues boss baffled.
Speaking after the match, Davies questioned the consistency of the officiating and highlighted what he felt was persistent fouling on debutant August Priske that went unpunished.
The draw came on a busy week for Birmingham, who recently completed the £6 million signing of Priske from Djurgarden. The 21-year-old made his Championship debut off the bench and endured a physical introduction to English football.
Davies confirmed Blues expect further transfer activity before the January deadline, with potential incomings and outgoings still under consideration.
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