Birmingham City defender Phil Neumann is in mid-air as he stoops to head the ball into the netGetty Images

Phil Neumann headed in Birmingham City's winning goal at Deepdale

Phil Neumann marked his return to Birmingham City's starting line-up with the winning goal in a dogged victory over Preston.

The German defender, who lost his place to the suspended Jack Robinson, nodded home Alex Cochrane's 33rd-minute free-kick to bring the visitors their first victory in five attempts.

But Chris Davies's side needed to withstand a fierce second-half bombardment after home boss Paul Heckingbottom made good use of his substitutes to freshen up the hosts' shot-shy attack.

Daniel Jebbison went closest for North End as he capitalised on a rush of blood from Birmingham keeper James Beadle midway through the second half, only for Neumann to cover and clear off the line.

Both sides have struggled for consistency this season but Birmingham's need was more pressing after their defeat against Hull City last Saturday meant they had won just one of their past eight matches in all competitions.

And for the first hour they deserved their lead after taking the sting out of the hosts' attack and posing problems of their own going forward.

Prior to the goal, Keshi Anderson prevented Birmingham's on-loan Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle from netting directly from a corner, the ball striking him on the goalline.

And Neumann's goal should have been built upon, but Lewis Gibson was on hand to clear off the line as Lewis Koumas was unselfishly played in by Jay Stansfield following a defensive mix-up.

Stansfield fired over from 25 yards on the hour, before Tomoki Iwata also went close for City, ghosting in at the near post and glancing a header against the foot of the post.

But Heckingbottom swapped and changed his hand - and the introduction of Thierry Small and Alfie Devine from the bench just after the hour breathed fresh life into his side.

After Jebbison went close, Small also hit a cross-shot that flew narrowly wide of Beadle's goal.

In the dying seconds, Eiran Cashin could have been penalised for a foul on Preston winger Lewis Dobbin as they jostled for possession near the byline, but referee Lewis Smith waved play on.

Heckingbottom's side peppered the visitors' penalty area from all angles in the dying moments but Birmingham held firm to register their second triumph on their travels this season.

'I've got to defend the club' - reaction

Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"First and foremost, let's talk about the players - they were magnificent. I was really proud of them.

"Our keeper hasn't had a save to make, we've had 13 or 14 shots, 40-odd crosses. Everything we did was fantastic.

"But they (referees) shouldn't be allowed to have that much influence on a game of football. It's scandalous. Anyone knows that we are refereed to a different standard than anyone else and you could see that.

"You know you are in trouble when you can see what's happening from the halfway line.

"I wasn't going to say anything about it, but I feel I've got to defend the club and the players."

Heckingbottom: 'I have to defend the club'

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies told BBC WM:

"I said to the players, 'If you are going to win a game, then win a game like that.'

"There's nothing really better than that. To dig in, be together as a team and see it out against a bombardment of long balls.

"It was a good away performance. I thought we started brightly. We looked a threat and scored a good goal from a set-piece.

"As the game wore on we faced some pressure but I was really pleased with the way the players defended that lead.

"And I'm really pleased for Phil Neumann. He's settling into a new club and a new environment and that will give him a lot of confidence.

"This was an important win for us, the team - and the whole squad."

Davies: 'There's nothing really better than that'

Gallagher: 'The commitment was there'

What's next for both teams?

It's a quick turnaround for Preston. They host Sheffield United in the Championship on Friday night.

Birmingham City face another away day as they travel to in-form Bristol City in the league on Saturday.

Player of the match

P. Neumann
8.86
5 H. Armstrong
5.82
16 A. Hughes
5.79
14 J. Storey
5.37
26 T. Small
5.37
17 L. Dobbin
5.32
28 M. Osmajić
5.31
1 D. Iversen
5.28
21 A. Devine
5.12
19 L. Gibson
5.10
3 A. Vukčević
4.92
8 A. McCann
4.91
4 B. Whiteman
4.72
42 O. Offiah
4.65
24 M. Smith
4.18
9 D. Jebbison
3.85
Back to team tabs

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.

Related topics