Birmingham City prospect could save Blues a summer transfer as Taylor Richards debut assessed

It finished all square at St Andrew’s as Birmingham City’s late onslaught came up short and meant they had to settle for a point and a 0-0 draw.

Hull City had the better of the opening exchanges but Blues established a foothold in the game before pushing for victory late on.

However, despite creating several promising positions in the final quarter, the truth is they rarely saw the whites of the Tigers’ goalposts and Lee Bowyer was left to lament a lack of quality when it mattered most.

Here’s what stood out - on a day when very little stood out...

As soon as it became apparent that Teden Mengi was fit following a month out with a hamstring injury, it seemed natural he would automatically return to the team.

Nico Gordon’s place seemed to be the most vulnerable, not only because he is the most junior of the three centre backs but also because he operates in the same right-sided defensive berth as Mengi.

However, Lee Bowyer’s show of faith in retaining Gordon sends a good message. It underlines the fact that if you play well - as he did against Bristol City - then you keep the shirt.

It was also encouraging to see a home-grown youngster picked ahead of a loan player and to be fair to Gordon he fully merited his selection.

After an early defensive adjustment the 19-year-old grew into the game and when Blues went to a back four in the second period he more than held his own, often sweeping behind Roberts when danger demanded it.

If Gordon can finish the season with seven or eight solid showings under his belt, he could well save Blues a recruitment job in the summer.

Blues started the game with a 5-3-2 but after an ineffectual first half, brought on Ryan Woods in place of Ivan Sunjic and went to a 4-3-3.

It was an adjustment