Birmingham 1 Derby 0
A below-par Birmingham put their promotion charge back-on-track with a narrow victory over a plucky Derby side who were unfortunate to come away from St Andrew's with nothing to show for their efforts.
The Rams dominated the opening 45 minutes and rained in shots on Birmingham's goal, with Maik Taylor saving well from Rob Hulse after he had found himself clean through following Martin Taylor's miscued backpass.
An improved Blues appeared after the restart, following a firsthalf in which they failed to register a single attempt on target, and Lee Carsley was on hand to head home the only goal of the game in the 59th minute.
The former Everton midfielder flicked on Hameur Bouazza's right-wing cross and the ball nestled in the far corner, with James McFadden optimistically claiming he got the final touch.
Taylor had to parry Hulse's close-range header over the crossbar and Carsley cleared Miles Addison's effort off the line, but it was not to be for the visitors as Blues held on for a much-needed three points to pile more misery on Rams boss Nigel Clough.
Derby could have taken the lead after just two minutes as Maik Taylor failed to hold onto Gary Teale's corner, but Kris Commons blasted over the bar from four yards.
Teale himself twice tested Taylor from distance shortly after as the home side failed to enjoy any real possession during the opening 10 minutes.
Alex McLeish's side were struggling to build any early momentum but the home faithful among the 15,330, the lowest attendance of the season at St Andrew's, were being kept busy by the regular boos aimed at former midfielder Robbie Savage.
Matters could and should have got worse for Birmingham in
