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Wycombe Wanderers
Championship | Gameweek 26
Feb 2, 2021 at 7pm UK
Adams Park
Birmingham logo

Wycombe
0 - 0
Birmingham


Grimmer (86')
FT

Dean (79')
Roberts (87')

Birmingham manager Aitor Karanka dismisses relegation talk

Birmingham manager Aitor Karanka dismisses relegation talk
© Reuters
The visitors lie within three points of the drop zone following a goalless stalemate.

Birmingham manager Aitor Karanka has insisted he is not worried about relegation despite his team falling to within three points of the Championship's bottom three as a result of their 0-0 draw at Wycombe.

The Blues have now won just one of their last 10 games and, thanks to Nottingham Forest's win against Coventry, are now fourth from bottom in the table.

Sheffield Wednesday's win at Bournemouth also drew them closer to danger, following a night where Birmingham were left frustrated by Ryan Allsop's heroics in goal for the hosts.

Karanka said: "When I came here, I knew it was going to be a tough season. It's impossible to think about being in a higher position when the team was going in the way it was going last year.

"We brought in players without spending money, and in the market we bought players without spending the money that other teams had.

"We're not complaining, it's just to show the reality for everybody.

"We knew it was going to be difficult and it's been difficult, so we'll just keep going.

"It's a shame because we played a good game, we had a lot of chances and from our chances their keeper was super and we didn't score.

"It's difficult to accept, once again, when we're playing like we did today and we are not winning games, but it is time to keep a strong mentality, to keep going because once again we have shown we are creating chances."

Wycombe came closest to scoring in the first half when Birmingham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge did superbly to keep out Uche Ikpeazu's deflected effort.

Allsop then shone after the break, with exceptional saves from Mikel San Jose and Maxime Colin, before Birmingham's Marc Roberts was sent off late on for a cynical lunge on Fred Onyedinma.

Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth said: "It wouldn't have looked out of place in League Two – no disrespect to League Two, but there was very limited moments of quality out there.

"I think what was Premier League was probably the two goalkeepers – I think both made what were match-saving saves.

"Ryan Allsop has made a couple and Neil Etheridge had one in the first half that was deflected and he was going the wrong way to start with, that was an unbelievable save.

"I think if anyone comes out with credit, it's the goalkeepers and that's usually the story of a 0-0.

"I'm pleased after Saturday [when Wycombe lost 7-2 at Brentford] because we progressed a great deal and that was important.

"Either team nicking it would have been unjust – they probably had the share of the chances over us, but I'm pleased that we've battled well against a very strong Birmingham side."

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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Birmingham CityBirmingham28206250193166
2Wycombe WanderersWycombe29178455302559
3Wrexham29167643251855
4Stockport CountyStockport31159747301754
5Charlton AthleticCharlton30148840291150
6Huddersfield TownHuddersfield29147841261549
7Leyton Orient291451043251847
8Bolton WanderersBolton30145114746147
9Reading30137104442246
10Barnsley30127114241143
11Blackpool3091384241140
12Lincoln CityLincoln301010103635140
13Stevenage29117112830-240
14Rotherham UnitedRotherham30108123435-138
15Mansfield TownMansfield29114143538-337
16Wigan AthleticWigan2897122728-134
17Northampton TownNorthampton3089132945-1633
18Exeter CityExeter2995153346-1332
19Bristol Rovers2995152945-1632
20Peterborough UnitedPeterborough3086164657-1130
21Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury3076173150-1927
22Crawley TownCrawley2976163353-2027
23Burton Albion30511143145-1426
24Cambridge UnitedCambridge3058173055-2523


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