Bolton 3 Birmingham 1

Ian Holloway could hardly have wished for a better start to his new job as Crystal Palace boss as a Glenn Murray hat-trick helped the Eagles soar to the top of the npower Championship with a 5-0 thrashing of Ipswich.

Birmingham 0 Ipswich 1

Craig Bryson gave Derby their third successive win over 10-man Nottingham Forest after Dexter Blackstock was sent off in an ill-tempered east midlands derby yesterday.

Nottingham Forest 2 Birmingham 2

Norwich manager Chris Hughton is likely to step up his bid to resolve the future of captain Grant Holt after securing goalkeeper John Ruddy on a new four-year-deal at Carrow Road.

Birmingham 2 Blackpool 2 (Blackpool win 3-2 on aggregate)

Curtis Davies’ unfortunate own goal gave Blackpool a slender advantage over Birmingham in the first leg of their npower Championship play-off semi-final last night.

Blackpool 1 Birmingham 0

Chris Hughton insists speculation linking him to the manager’s post at West Brom is just that, with the Birmingham boss fully focused on his side’s upcoming play-off bid.

Mikele Leigertwood scored in the 81st minute to send Reading back into the Barclays Premier League with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the Madejski Stadium.

Ricardo Vaz Te’s 89th-minute penalty salvaged a point for West Ham but it is now seven home games without a win after drawing 3-3 with Chris Hughton’s Birmingham last night.

West Ham 3 Birmingham 3

Birmingham 3 Middlesbrough 0

Rickie Lambert struck his fourth hat-trick of the season as Southampton staged a late fightback to defeat Millwall and remain top of the npower Championship standings.

Birmingham 0 Chelsea 2

Chris Hughton saw his remarkable unbeaten Championship record come to an end at the weekend but backed his Birmingham side to bounce back from the 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Chelsea 1 Birmingham 1

Leeds 1 Birmingham 4

Sheffield United 0 Birmingham 4

WEST HAM manager Sam Allardyce was happy to be on the right end of two debatable decisions as his side moved three points clear at the top of the npower Championship with a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

NIGEL ADKINS would prefer for people to be talking about his Southampton team’s style of play instead of Luke Chambers’ red card after the Saints defeated Nottingham Forest on Saturday to stay at the summit of the npower Championship.

Millwall 0 Birmingham 6

Birmingham 2 Ipswich 1

CELTIC manager Neil Lennon is hoping his side will thrive in the do-or-die scenario they face in tonight’s Europa League Group I game against Udinese at the Stadio Friuli (kick-off 8.05pm).

BIRMINGHAM paid the price for Nikola Zigic’s early saved penalty as a narrow defeat in Braga left them facing an uphill battle in their bid to progress to the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Birmingham 2 Burnley 1

Club Brugge 1 Birmingham 2

NEIL LENNON claims Udinese’s late penalty at Parkhead which cost Celtic their first Europa League Group I win was down to a “disgraceful decision” by Turkish referee Bulent Yildirim last night.

Jonathan Spector has become Birmingham’s sixth free transfer signing of the summer.

Birmingham acting chairman Peter Pannu has criticised Alex McLeish for walking away from the club and vowed the Scot will not be allowed to move on without a fight.

Birmingham’s search for a new manager starts today – with former boss Alex McLeish tipped to take over at city rivals Aston Villa.

ALEX McLEISH resigned as manager of Birmingham City yesterday — by email — and was immediately tipped to defect to cross-city rivals Aston Villa.

Striker Marlon King has joined Birmingham after turning down a new contract with npower Championship rivals Coventry.

Birmingham have completed their first signing since being relegated from the Barclays Premier League with winger Chris Burke joining on a Bosman transfer from Cardiff.

Cardiff 0 Middlesbrough 3

QPR’s seemingly unstoppable march towards promotion from the npower Championship continued as they posted a workmanlike 1-0 win over Doncaster at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Cardiff 2 Reading 2

Cardiff 0 Stoke 2 (after extra-time)

THE parents of a previously healthy three-year-old girl who died from swine flu want all children to be vaccinated against the virus.

Stoke 1 Cardiff 1

LEEDS’ 12-game unbeaten run came to an end last night at the hands of Cardiff as the Bluebirds eased the pressure on manager Dave Jones.

Blackpool 3 Cardiff 2

Gabriel Tamas fired home four minutes from time to snatch a hard-earned point at the Madejski Stadium and nudge West Bromwich Albion closer to a quick return to the Barclays Premier League.