Birmingham 1-0 Fulham

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A late header from Nicky Butt gave Birmingham City their first home win of the season and eased pressure on manager Steve Bruce.

A dire game seemed set to end in a goalless draw before Butt nodded home an Emile Heskey knockdown with six minutes remaining.

It was just reward after the Blues had dominated the second half following a dismal first 45 minutes.

But the win was not enough to lift the St Andrews club out of the drop zone.

It provided a tense end to a game which would not feature as a must-have DVD for Christmas.

They looked up for it from the start - we might have turned the corner From AV Have your say on 606

But a game between a team with the worst home record in the country and one without an away win all season was always destined to be nervy.

The football on offer in the first half was understandably not very pleasing to the eye and the ferocity of Bruce's complaints at an incessant offside flag summed up the mood.

While Blues chairman David Gold had appealed for luck to ease their current predicament, none seemed to be forthcoming.

Frustrations mounted for the home side as they appeared unable to check their runs and carve out the sort of opportunities that would give them a fighting chance.

Brimingham's Damien Johnson tries to unlock the Fulham defence

If they were looking to referee Uriah Rennie, he was not going to help either as Butt had a good call for a penalty turned down for a push.

The visitors may have drawn three and lost three of their away games but they did not appear too eager to do much about it.

Brian McBride's header that cleared the bar seemed nothing more than a token gesture in a dismal first half.

Birmingham's need was greater. If a win could not take them out of the relegation zone, it would at least be a start.

Greater space was allowed out wide after the restart but still they could not find a way through.

Jermaine Pennant added a bit of zip but, not surprisingly for a team that has scored just four home goals all season, they just could not find a way through until Butt's header.

It was a just reward for their driving force in the heart of midfield.

He embodied the desire not to give up - a quality the Blues will need in abundance if they are to avoid the drop.

A long ball from Jamie Clapham found Heskey on the edge of the box and Butt anticipated well, nodding into the corner.

It brought relief to St Andrews and may be even a building block for a survival bid.

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Birmingham boss Steve Bruce:

"We missed two or three chances and you thought it was going to be one of those days.

"But after missing that earlier one, Nicky showed a great deal of courage and got his reward.

"It was the best he has played for a long time and, if he goes back to that, there is no better English player at doing what he does.

"It wasn't pretty in the first half but we showed what we were about in the second."

Fulham boss Chris Coleman

"I was bitterly disappointed with us going forward because we didn't offer anything.

"Defensively, we were OK but the one time we knocked off, they scored and that was disappointing.

"It is difficult to be hard on the forwards because they normally create plenty of chances both home and away.

"Everyone keeps going on about not winning away but they will come if we can attack like we have been."

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Birmingham: Vaesen, Tebily (Jarosik 69), Cunningham, Upson, Painter, Johnson, Butt, Clemence, Lazaridis (Pennant 53), Dunn (Clapham 74), Heskey.
Subs Not Used: Maik Taylor, Pandiani.

Goals: Butt 84.

Fulham: Crossley, Rosenior, Goma, Knight, Bocanegra, Malbranque, Christanval, Legwinski, John, McBride, Radzinski.
Subs Not Used: Helguson, Elrich, Warner, Niclas Jensen, Pearce.

Att: 27,597

Ref: U Rennie (S Yorkshire).