Norwich 1 Birmingham City 0

Birmingham City stay top of the Championship — but only on goal difference after stumbling to an untimely defeat to fired-up Norwich City.

Blues' habit of beating the top teams in the division, but slipping up against the lesser lights came back to haunt them as they lost to a side 16 places below them in the table.

Peter Grant's Norwich had lost four of their previous five home games and not had a clean sheet this year. But they played way above their recent standards as Darren Huckerby's early second-half strike proved enough to upset former Norwich favourite Steve Bruce for the second time this season.

Bruce's one consolation was that this time the defeat was not quite so damaging to his team as it was when a similar 1-0 score line, in Grant's first game at the helm for Norwich, so nearly cost the Blues boss his job back in October.

The fact that two of Blues' main rivals, Sunderland and Derby County, both dropped points at home made the defeat at little more palatable. And the fact that Blues had a plane to catch and did not face the rigours of a long coach journey home will certainly help the preparations for their next away match, Sunday's short trip to The Hawthorns.

But, on a night when they were hampered by the early loss of Rowan Vine through illness, the only other bright spot was the long-awaited return of Mikael Forssell, who came off the bench late on and almost rescued a point.

Norwich made the better start and several times had the Blues defence in a flap in the opening 20 minutes.

Dickson Etuhu's low cross flew across the face of goal, before Colin Doyle thrust out an arm like a bear swatting away a fly to palm away Coventry old boy Youssef Safri's free kick. And the Canaries' latest young discovery Chris Martin twice went close.

From Andy Hughes's lobbed pass, the young Norfolk boy shot on the volley only for his effort to fly just over. And it was the same combination again when Martin's shot was deflected wide after good work down the right by Hughes.

But, by then, Blues had begun to wake up, largely thanks to the determined efforts of Vine. He won Blues their first corner with a typically foraging run down the right before cutting in to shoot. And, in the final ten minutes of the half, Blues served notice of better things to come after the break.

Nicklas Bendtner thundered a fierce right-foot shot just wide, before Vine produced Blues' best move of the half with another penetrating run past three men before firing a left-foot shot straight at keeper Tony Warner.

It was then Vine's neat ball inside the full back down the right that set up Stephen Kelly to pick out Bendtner, whose turn and low cross went untouched across the six-yard box. And the recalled Radhi Jaidi, back in place of the injured Bruno N'Gotty, stuck a header wide after towering above the Canaries’ defence to meet a Sebastian Larsson corner.

The only downside was the mystery injury that forced the in-form Vine off late in the half. And things took a turn for the worse within two minutes of the restart when Darren Huckerby fired Norwich ahead. To add insult to Vine's injury, it was a bad goal to concede in more ways than one.

Huckerby picked up the ball midway inside the Blues half, went through feeble challenges from Fabrice Muamba and Larsson and tried his luck from 20 yards. Although the Norwich striker's right-foot shot was well struck, Doyle might have done better than merely get his hands to it.

Blues had their chances to level. But on a night when he was not at his sharpest, the two best fell to substitute Cameron Jerome.

He could only fire into the side netting after being set up by Mat Sadler. And, when Stephen Clemence threaded him in for another go, he took it early and prodded it tamely wide.

With their confidence growing by the second, Norwich looked just as good a bet for a clinching second goal. Simon Lappin fired a right-foot shot just wide, Martin went on another menacing run before cutting in and firing a left-foot shot straight at Doyle and Huckerby came off worse against six foot six Doyle as he tried to latch on to Gary Doherty's looping header.

Blues still had a big finish up their sleeve. Recalled skipper Damien Johnson, a replacement for the suspended Gary McSheffrey, had a powerful shot deflected by Etuhu. But the late heroics were reserved for Warner, the beaten keeper when Stern John scored in the last minute in the play-off semi final at Millwall to take Blues to Cardiff en route to promotion five years ago.

This time Warner proved up to it, saving bravely to deny Forssell. And when Jason Shackell stuck out a leg to deny Jaidi and Blues could not make their four minutes of added time count, that meant a second successive away defeat for Bruce's men.

Scorer: Huckerby (47).
NORWICH CITY (4-4-2): Warner; Hughes, Doherty, Shackell, Drury; Croft (Chadwick, 83), Etuhu, Safri, Lappin; Martin (Dublin, 74), Huckerby. Subs: Gallacher (gk), Fotheringham, McVeigh.
BIRMINGHAM CITY (4-4-2): Doyle; Kelly, Jaidi, Martin Taylor, Sadler; Johnson, Muamba (Forssell, 54), Clemence, Larsson; Bendtner (Gray, 80), Vine (Jerome, 40). Subs: Maik Taylor (gk), Nafti.
Referee: R Booth (Nottinghamshire).
Attendance: 23,504.

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