Birmingham City 1-0 Blackburn Rovers - Andre Dozzell winner as Blues ruin John Eustace return
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Blackburn boss John Eustace acknowledged the Birmingham City fans on his return to the club after being sacked in October
Birmingham City won at home in the Championship for the first time in almost three months as they ruined former Blues boss John Eustace's return with Blackburn Rovers.
Birmingham had only won once in the league at St Andrew's, Wayne Rooney's only home Championship victory, since Eustace signed off with back-to-back home wins before being sacked in early October.
But, with current manager Tony Mowbray sitting in the stand and serving a one-match ban, Blues needed just one goal to beat Eustace's Rovers.
It came in the 77th minute after good work by Juninho Bacuna, with Rovers failing to clear before Queens Park Rangers loan man Andre Dozzell coolly slotted home from 12 yards.
In Eustace's first game in charge since being appointed on Friday, the visitors' best chance came after the break when fit-again recalled keeper John Ruddy made a fine save low to his left to deny the Championship's top scorer Sammie Szmodics.
Both sides move up a place, Birmingham from 19th to 18th, Rovers from 17th to 16th, with Blackburn's movement thanks to the severity of Swansea's 4-0 hammering by Leeds United.
Birmingham are now just a point behind Blackburn, Swansea and 15th-placed Plymouth Argyle - and six points clear of trouble.
After picking up his third yellow card of the season in the 2-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday on Friday, Mowbray's touchline ban did not prove too telling as his seven changes from the loss to the Owls proved effective.
They might have won by more but Wales international Tyler Roberts wasted two great chances to open his account for the season after an injury-wrecked first half of the campaign.
But, after being slipped in by Koji Miyoshi in the first half, he sent his finish wide of the left upright. Then he wasted another good chance after the break when, having being gifted the ball by Rovers keeper Ainsley Pears, he lifted it high into the Tilton Road End from a tight angle.
Having lost six of their past seven league games against Blackburn, including the 4-2 loss at Ewood Park earlier this season under Rooney, and with Eustace returning too, Blues fans had good cause to fear the worst - but those fears proved unfounded as, with some irony, they won despite the handicap of not having a manager in the home dugout at all.
Who's next?
Mowbray faces another of his former clubs on Saturday when Birmingham City host Sunderland.
On the same day, Eustace has another away game to contend with - Rovers' derby trip to Lancashire neighbours Preston North End.
Birmingham City boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio WM:
"There was a lot to be pleased about, but some frustration too after all the chances we missed.
"It looked like it might be one of those nights when they would score, we'd lose 1-0 and everyone would be upset. But thankfully we got the goal.
"We built up some pressure around their box but it was great that Andre's really sweet left foot put the ball in the back of the net.
"I did say to my staff that I wondered whether making seven changes might be too much, but it felt right. We needed to show the opposition we'd be right in their face, get the challenges, make the runs and make the tackles."
Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"We're disappointed to lose, obviously. The lads battled hard at a difficult place to come to and mostly restricted Birmingham to long shots.
"We had a couple of half chances, but we need to be better with the ball, that little bit of quality in the final third.
"There's a lot to work on and we know we've been conceding too many goals - but at times we still defended as well as we did on Saturday.
"We've got a lot of games coming up. It's about making sure the group are not too downhearted."