Birmingham, baffling Brice in Championship winners and losers

Bristol City are going nowhere incredibly fast but Birmingham have foundations upon which to build after an excellent January transfer window.

Winners

Birmingham City’s January signings

Luton’s trip to St. Andrew’s saw two sides headed on two very different trajectories, but there was a Prince and the Pauper tale to this fixture, which saw Birmingham run out 3-0 winners with each of their goalscorers having been brought to the club last month. For all the genuine and much-needed criticism aimed at many facets of how this club is run, the silver lining of that improvement in recruitment is welcome.

Juninho Bacuna – the only permanent signing of the three – netted his first goal since swapping Rangers for the Second City before loanees Lyle Taylor and Onel Hernandez continued their fine starts. Permanent moves in the summer would benefit all parties. More positive results like this will make such a resolution all the more tempting for a pair who struggled in the first half of the season with Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough respectively.

A bit of daylight between Birmingham and the bottom six has opened up. Lee Bowyer’s side can start to look towards next season and an equally successful summer of recruitment as the winter just gone.

Chris Wilder’s home comforts

Middlesbrough’s rise under Wilder from the mid-table fodder they had become under predecessor Neil Warnock to promotion challengers has been nothing short of remarkable. This was just the second time in that run of games that Boro conceded, Max Bird’s equaliser a rare blot on another near-flawless day for Wilder and co. But what they lacked in a complete defensive shutout, they more than made up for in overwhelming their opponents on a fraught day packed to the