Birmingham City failed to pull away from the bottom three after they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough in what was a routine win for the hosts.

A first-half brace from big-money Boro signing Britt Assombalonga separated the sides and speaking to the Birmingham Mail, Blues boss Steve Cotterill acknowledged how good the striker was.

“If Boro don’t have Assombalonga tonight, do you think they win the game? He was the difference and he was on to the first shot for his goal. The second goal he’s made two runs. One for the defender and one for himself. When he gets in there, he’s calm and then he scores.”

Garry Monk’s men saw out the game with relative ease and Cotterill felt his side should’ve done more. “We gave away a couple of silly, sloppy goals. Both were preventable.”

“We have probably created enough chances to have scored or put Middlesbrough on the back foot.”

Only one point keeps Blues away from the relegation zone and things don’t get any easier for the West Midlands side with a trip to high-flying Sheffield United up next and a derby against leaders Wolves after that.

The Verdict

Cotterill was right that Assombalonga was the difference but that doesn’t excuse Birmingham’s performance.

They didn’t do enough to stop him and we shouldn’t forget that the Blues side includes several players who cost a lot of money.

It was a poor night all round and they’ve failed to kick on from Saturday’s impressive win. Worryingly, the next two fixtures are against two of the standout teams, so Cotterill needs to lift his players or they could be in the bottom

three very soon.

Thoughts, Birmingham fans? Let us know in the comments below.