Birmingham City remained just four points outside the top six, bouncing back from the derby defeat against Aston Villa with a fine win.

They travelled to Millwall and secured a 2-0 victory, playing against ten men for half an hour. James Meredith's own goal gave them an early lead, but the game hinged on the sending off of Ryan Leonard for a second bookable offence on the half hour mark.

From there, the Blues had to be organised and focused, eventually sealing the win courtesy of Michael Morrison with less than 15 minutes on the clock.

The result delighted manager Garry Monk, who took to Twitter after the game to herald the impact of the supporters who made the trip down to East London.

He posted: "The best possible response on the pitch and also from our fans, who have been terrific this week. Their unwavering support helped us again tonight."

After the 4-2 defeat against Villa this weekend, the win was the perfect response and leaves the Blues perfectly placed for a play off assault, against all odds.

They've responded superbly to a tough summer and seem set to be on the edge of the race for a top six finish.

The Verdict

Like Aitor Karanka, Monk is a manager who uses social media as a way to communicate with the fans and it is always widely appreciated.

There's no denying this was a big win for the Blues, they needed to bounce back quickly and did just that. It's bad news for Millwall though, they're in dire straights right now and face a long, gruelling season.

[ad_pod ]