Birmingham boss Alex McLeish hailed a "big, big result" for his side after they beat Bolton 2-1 at St Andrew's to catapult themselves out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone.

Veteran Blues striker Kevin Phillips made the most of being handed his first league start of the season by opening the scoring in the fourth minute, the 37-year-old meeting Sebastian Larsson's corner and unleashing an effort that Jussi Jaaskelainen could not stop going in.

Craig Gardner made it 2-0 just before the hour mark, cracking a strike in off the post after playing a one-two with Cameron Jerome.

McLeish then had to withdraw his skipper Stephen Carr as a precaution with the Irishman having apparently felt pain in his hamstring, and a minute later Johan Elmander pulled one back for Wanderers with a volley to set up a tense finale.

The hosts hung on, though - thanks largely to the heroics of goalkeeper Ben Foster - to secure a victory that moved them up from second-bottom in the table to 14th, two points clear of the drop zone.

It was a game in which McLeish admitted nothing but a win would really do for his team.

"The enforced changes to the team didn't help and with Bolton getting the goal after we lost Stephen Carr, it was a bit of a blow," McLeish said.

"They got a wee scent of blood there and they put us under the cosh, but the guys stood up to it magnificently at the back again.

"It was a game we felt we really had to win. I don't like to use that term 'must-win' because what if you don't? Do you throw the towel in?

"But it was a big, big result for us. When everyone knows that to win will be a big, big result, it heaps the pressure on, but they have responded magnificently."

McLeish reserved special praise for England stopper Foster, who kept out Bolton's on-loan striker Daniel Sturridge on numerous occasions over the 90 minutes and produced further saves to deny Kevin Davies and Gretar Steinsson in the dying moments.

"He had a brilliant game," McLeish said.

"Ben is not going to keep everything out for us during a whole season but today he certainly helped us to get two points that we may have lost."

Asked whether he thought there was much between Foster and international colleague Joe Hart, who had been Birmingham's goalkeeper before him, McLeish said: "No, I think there is very much a good competition there between those two guys.

"Joe is the man in possession and I think that Ben has carried on at this club from where Joe left off."