CHRIS Hughton insisted Birmingham City didn’t deserve defeat at Crystal Palace.

The Blues manager felt that inability to make their good periods play matter, particularly in the opening half, did them no favours.

Blues succumbed to an 84th minute header by Kagisho Dikgacoi, a moment when Hughton felt his players let their defensive guard slip.

"The problem is always that in order to win you've got to make your play count and score," said Hughton.

"I always felt it was going to be a tight affair, they don't give away too much, they are generally not great goalscorers themselves.

"But in those periods of pressure when you are playing well, when you are in good areas, in the ascendancy, you've got to get your goals.

"They were always going to apply pressure on us, they're a big, strong side, good at set plays, and when they get balls into the box, they're always a danger.

"But I still felt that going into that last 20 minutes we could have got a draw at least. We had defended well and limited them really to half-chances.

"Fine margins decide these sort of games and unfortunately for us they got the goal.

"It was a quality ball in from Darren Ambrose, and we are very aware of what he can do. But if you allow that type of quality in and allow that kind of movement in the box, there's every chance of scoring."

"It seemed to he heading for a draw, but these are the defining moments," added Hughton, who altered the formation and of his team in order to try and generate a positive result on the road after recent disappointments and, indeed, throughout the season.