Birmingham win at Crawley to go top of League One
Stansfield heads late winner for Blues
Final EFL fixture before Christmas
21st-placed Crawley stay inside drop zone
Back on Boxing Day
Image source, PA MediaSo Birmingham send their fans home happy with the points if not the performance.
It'll be a happy Christmas for Blues and we hope you enjoy the festivities too.
You can keep up to date with everything in the EFL on the BBC Sport website and we are back with plenty of live coverage on Boxing Day.
Cheers!
FT Crawley 0-1 Birmingham
Image source, BBC SportCrawley miss the chance to move out of the relegation zone but when many expected them to struggle they are well in touch with the sides above them.
There are tricky games to come at Leyton Orient and Exeter before they host Charlton on New Year's Day.
FT: Crawley 0-1 Birmingham
Image source, BBC SportThe equation was simple for Birmingham at the start of play tonight - win and go top.
It wasn't pretty but they got the job done with Jay Stansfield's second-half header.
They have home games against Burton and Blackpool to come later this week before a New Year's Day showdown at Stockport.
That game will pit Stansfield against the division's current top scorer Louie Barry who'll be playing his final game for Stockport before heading back to Aston Villa.
FT: Crawley 0-1 Birmingham
Birmingham matchwinner Jay Stansfield told Sky Sports:
"Christmas is a special time. To get three points and top the league tops it off.
"They gave us a tough game. We weren't at our best but we've got to come to difficult away games and find ways to win and we did that."
FT: Crawley 0-1 Birmingham
Darren Carter
Ex-Birmingham midfielder on BBC Radio WM
These are the games throughout the season that Birmingham are expected to win but it's not that easy, you need to fight for it.
There was a change in tempo, intensity and mindset from Birmingham in that second half.
Credit to Crawley as well, a good showing from them, but the Blues deserved it, they go top at Christmas.
Image source, PA MediaCrawley 0-1 Birmingham
Image source, PA MediaJay Stansfield provides the one moment for Birmingham as they go top of League One for Christmas.
It's not a game that will live long in the memory but with 11 minutes to go Keshi Anderson got down the right hand side and supplied the cross for Stansfield to glance home.
It's the 11th league goal of the season for the £10m man and his seventh in the last seven games.
Crawley produced a disciplined performance for much of the game but with only two shots on goal all night rarely threatened and they remain in the drop zone ahead of a trip to Leyton Orient on Boxing Day.
Blues go top with a home game against struggling Burton to come on Boxing Day.
Crawley 0-1 Birmingham
A loose ball drops to Crawley's Ronan Darcy on the edge of the box - he shoots - it could go anywhere - it's wide.
Crawley 0-1 Birmingham
Keshi Anderson has the assist for the goal tonight and he's heading off with Taylor Gardner-Hickman coming on for Birmingham.
Crawley 0-1 Birmingham
We will have six minutes of time added on.
Image source, PA MediaCrawley 0-1 Birmingham
Luke Harris replaces Birmingham goalscorer Jay Stansfield for the final few minutes.
Image source, PA MediaCrawley 0-1 Birmingham
Tyreece John-Jules is cautioned for an obvious foul on Ethan Laird.
Crawley 0-1 Birmingham
Should be 2-0 and game over.
Brilliant break down the left by Ethan Laird and when he squares the ball Lyndon Dykes somehow fails to connect and turn it in from no more than a foot.
It's still only 1-0 which might be dangerous.
Crawley 0-1 Birmingham
Darren Carter
Ex-Birmingham midfielder on BBC Radio WM
Blues have really clicked into gear,
Crawley are trying to press as intensely as they can but Birmingham are passing the ball so quickly.
Crawley 0-1 Birmingham
Those sprouts will be tasting pretty sweet for Blues fans if they can hold on for another 10 or so minutes...
Image source, OptaCrawley 0-1 Birmingham
Crawley just fell asleep for that goal as they allowed Keshi Anderson to get in behind them.
That's seven goals in his last seven appearances for Jay Stansfield.
Will that be enough or do Crawley have something left in the tank?
Crawley 0-1 Birmingham
Darren Carter
Ex-Birmingham midfielder on BBC Radio WM
We have said this game just needed that one little bit of quality and Stansfield has delivered.
Good quality and good movement, that is what has got them the goal.
Jay Stansfield
Image source, PA MediaYou pay the money...
Keshi Anderson is away down the right for Birmingham and his cross is glanced home by Jay Stansfield.
As it stands Blues are going to be top of League One on Christmas Day.
Crawley 0-0 Birmingham
Harry Forster's evening is over for Crawley as is that of captain Dion Conroy who is making his first appearance of the season.
Armando Quitirna and Jack Roles replace them.
It's a 50th league appearance for Crawley for Roles if you like to note those kind of things.
Crawley 0-0 Birmingham
Darren Carter
Ex-Birmingham midfielder on BBC Radio WM
The game has gone a little bit scrappy and back and forth.
The domination Birmingham had has sort of gone. I'm not sure if it is to do with the substitutions.
Crawley 0-0 Birmingham
Two changes for Crawley.
Bradley Ibrahim - on loan from Hertha Berlin joins the fray as does Rushian Hepburn-Murphy.
Off go Panutche Camara and Max Anderson.
And changes for Birmingham as on comes Scottish international Lyndon Dykes for Alfie May and Marc Leonard takes the place of Willum Willumson.
We have 15 minutes to play.
Jay Stansfield scored his seventh goal in seven games for Birmingham
Birmingham City moved top of League One as Jay Stansfield's headed goal finally broke through Crawley's resolute defence at Broadfield Stadium.
The promotion-chasing Blues had been kept at bay in a largely drab game in tricky conditions, but eventually claimed the three points that will see them sitting at the table's summit on Christmas Day.
Stansfield's red-hot streak continued as he nodded home his seventh goal in seven appearances from Keshi Anderson's cross with the match fizzling towards a goalless draw.
Chris Davies' side move one point clear of Wycombe Wanderers with a game in hand following a fifth league win in a row.
Crawley remain in the relegation zone, two points from safety, and face back-to-back away fixtures at Leyton Orient and Exeter to end the year.
Chris Davies has led Birmingham to 14 wins from their 19 league games this season
Crawley welcomed back captain Dion Conroy to their starting line-up for the first time this season, but the 29-year-old defender was largely untroubled in a forgettable first half after kick-off had been delayed due to a medical emergency in the crowd.
The visitors improved after the break, with efforts from Paik Seung-Ho and Willum Willumsson dealt with by the Reds backline and goalkeeper Jojo Wollacott, while the hosts did not register a shot until the 71st minute.
They found themselves behind eight minutes later as Stansfield found space in the box to head in his 14th goal of the season shortly after Conroy was substituted.
Ethan Laird's brilliant solo run down the left and ball across the face of goal should have then been converted by Lyndon Dykes.
But the former QPR striker could not connect on the goalline to score his first league goal since moving to St Andrew's in the summer.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 35 | 16 | 19 | 45 |
| |
| 2 | 20 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 43 | 22 | 21 | 44 |
| |
| 3 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 31 | 14 | 17 | 42 |
| |
| 4 | 20 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 34 | 18 | 16 | 39 |
| |
| 5 | 21 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 34 | 22 | 12 | 36 |
| |
| 6 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 28 | 25 | 3 | 31 |
| |
| 7 | 20 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 31 |
| |
| 8 | 19 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 28 | 29 | -1 | 31 |
| |
| 9 | 21 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 30 | -1 | 30 |
| |
| 10 | 19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 22 | 1 | 28 |
| |
| 11 | 20 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 27 |
| |
| 12 | 20 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 31 | -2 | 27 |
| |
| 13 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 19 | 22 | -3 | 27 |
| |
| 14 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 17 | -2 | 26 |
| |
| 15 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 20 | 3 | 25 |
| |
| 16 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 38 | 37 | 1 | 24 |
| |
| 17 | 20 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 24 |
| |
| 18 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 19 | 21 | -2 | 23 |
| |
| 19 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 29 | -11 | 22 |
| |
| 20 | 21 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 21 | 34 | -13 | 21 |
| |
| 21 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 20 | 33 | -13 | 19 |
| |
| 22 | 20 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 35 | -15 | 17 |
| |
| 23 | 20 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 32 | -15 | 12 |
| |
| 24 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 21 | 41 | -20 | 12 |
|
Manager: Rob Elliot
Formation: 3 - 5 - 1 - 1
Manager: Chris Davies
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Rob Elliot
Formation: 3 - 5 - 1 - 1
Manager: Chris Davies
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
League One
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This will be just the second competitive meeting between Crawley Town and Birmingham City after a 5-1 victory for the Blues in the first round of the League Cup in August 2017.
Birmingham City have failed to win any of their last ten away league games against newly promoted opposition (D3 L7), since a 1-0 success over Rotherham United in April 2021.
Crawley have conceded 14 goals from set piece situations so far in League One this season – the most of any side in the competition (including penalties).
Birmingham have won 16 points from losing positions in League One this season – the most of any side in the third tier.
