Birmingham City cruised to a 2-0 win at St Andrew’s to puncture Wrexham’s hopes of a Championship play-off place.
Wrexham had the opportunity to move within two points of Hull City in sixth with a win but squandered the chance with a sloppy and lacklustre display against a Birmingham outfit who were short on form heading into the encounter.
Chris Davies’ side had lost three games in a row but controlled the game from the first whistle to snap that streak, with Wrexham offering little in the form of a response.
Vicente came close to breaking the deadlock before half-time after pouncing on a loose ball and racing in behind the defence, only to be denied by one of Arthur Okonkwo’s six saves.
The winger took just four minutes after the restart to atone for the miss, however, after racing across George Thomason at the back post to latch onto Kai Wagner’s cross and plant his header into the top right corner.
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Christoph Klarer adds a second to Birmingham’s lead with header at the back post with Wrexham’s goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo no where near the ball from the cross of the corner
An error from Okonkwo after failing to claim a corner then allowed Christoph Klarer to tap home a second from close range to secure the win for Birmingham, their first in over a month.
Back-to-back defeats for Wrexham, following a dismal 5-1 loss to fellow promotion hopefuls Southampton, mean a four-point gap now separates them from the top six with four games to go.
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Carlos Vicente’s header at the far post gives Birmingham City the lead over Wrexham
The managers
Birmingham’s Chris Davies:
“It was one of our best performances of the season, one of our best wins. We were very aggressive, first to the ball and played quickly.
“I don’t think they had a shot on goal. A thoroughly dominant performance, the players had a lot in them today and pushed hard.
“It’s an unforgiving league so we have to stay humble. I like what I’ve seen in the spirit and fight.”
“Do we need a big finish to the season to alleviate pressure? Possibly, I don’t know. I have felt the pressure since the very first day. I am used to it. We go for every match.”
Birmingham boss Chris Davies celebrates after beating Wrexham
Wrexham’s Phil Parkinson:
“The first half was a competitive game. We expected them to go direct, but he [Chris Davies] changed how they played.
“We grew into it without taking care of our final pass. We were right in the game but the goals we conceded were so soft that it defined the game.
“We were right in the game in the first half. They were aggressive and went forward quickly. The goals have really hurt us today.
Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson
“I am never going to be critical of individuals; it is all about the team. They are just moments. In those two moments, it is really poor from our point of view.
“Goalscoring over the season hasn’t been a problem; we have always been a threat. But today we didn’t, in the second half we just couldn’t find a way through.
“The game was defined in moments where, in defending, we should have done better.
“We are still in the mix. It’s not over.”
