Birmingham City boss, Garry Monk was left frustrated after his side fell to a surprise 1-0 defeat against Bristol City.

The defeat ended the Blues’ 15-game unbeaten run and the Birmingham boss will be hoping his side can bounce back from the shock loss as they look to push for a play-off place.

Speaking to Birmingham’s official website after the defeat to Lee Johnson’s side, Monk blamed the referee, as the Blues had three penalty appeals turned down.

"We had three penalty appeals turned down. It was incredible how we didn't get at least one of them.

"But that's what you need in these types of games. I don't think the conditions helped either team, but you need to be on the right end of those margins and especially those decisions."

Monk outlined the penalty appeals that were turned away as Famara Diedhiou’s goal on the hour mark proved to be the difference between the two sides.

"The second one Che is pushed to the ground inside the area and then the third one there was contact, and we were told by the referee that he has gone down too easily."

The Birmingham boss felt that those decisions from the referee cost the Blues and stated that his side didn’t deserve to lose the game against the Robins.

"Those things are out of our control unfortunately, which is why I feel so frustrated for the players because we didn't deserve to lose that game at all today."

Birmingham travel to Ewood Park next weekend to face Blackburn Rovers in what will be a stern test if they are to have any ambitions of reaching the top six by the end of the season.

 The Verdict:

This defeat will be a huge wake up call for Garry Monk’s side.

Admittedly, the refereeing performance may not have been the best, but Monk will be disappointed that his side couldn’t break down a Bristol City side which has struggled in recent weeks.

It’s crucial that the Blues bounce back from this defeat as quickly as possible as their top six ambitions could slowly be fading away from them if they lose ground on the promotion chasing pack.