MX23RW : Friday, January 10 09:59:00| >> :120:45546:45546:
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Birmingham logo
Championship
Dec 13, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
Reading logo

6-1

Caddis (4'), Gray (11', 24', 45'), Shinnie (46'), Cotterill (60')
FT(HT: 4-1)
Murray (19')

Preview: Birmingham City vs. Reading

Sports Mole previews Saturday's match between Birmingham and Reading at St Andrew's as the hosts look to bounce back from defeat to Blackpool.

Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett will be keen for his side to make a swift return to winning ways when they host Reading at St Andrew's Stadium this weekend.

The Blues were beaten for the first time under their new manager last weekend, and it was a particularly disappointing loss to bottom club Blackpool.

That defeat aside, though, Rowett's reign has been a successful one so far, and the Blues are four points clear of the relegation zone going into this weekend.

The most notable of the former Burton Albion manager's contributions so far is the improvement of Birmingham's dismal home form, with Rowett having amassed seven points from a possible nine at St Andrew's since his arrival.

Those matches have all come against teams with playoff aspirations too, so they will be full of confidence when taking on Reading this weekend.

Wes Thomas is expected to be involved at some point having served a three-match ban, while returning striker Nikola Zigic could be included in the squad having been granted a work visa this week.

Reading, meanwhile, will be looking to win three matches in a row against Birmingham for the first time in their history.

Consistency has been an issue for the Royals so far this season, however, with Reading failing to string two wins together since mid-September.

A goalless draw against Bolton Wanderers last time out means that they won't be able to do that this weekend either, but should they avoid defeat then they would be on their best run of form for almost three months.

They may well be more confident than usual of picking up the win due to their recent victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road, a result that ended a seven-match winless streak away from home.

Nigel Adkins does have a number of injury concerns to deal with, but Alex Pearce is back available and pushing for a place in the starting lineup.

Birmingham:

Recent form: DWDWWL

Possible starting lineup: Randolph; Caddis, Grounds, Morrison, Robinson; Arthur, Davis, Gleeson, Cotterill, Gray; Donaldson

Reading:

Recent form: LWLLWD

Possible starting lineup: Federici; Gunter, Cooper, Hector, Kelly; Obita, Williams, Norwood, Robson'Kanu, McCleary; Murray

Sports Mole says: 1-1


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Written by
Barney Corkhill
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Burton manager Gary Rowett looks on prior to the Capital One Cup Second Round match between Burton Albion and Queens Park Rangers at Pirelli Stadium on August 27, 2014
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Birmingham CityBirmingham23165241172453
2Wycombe WanderersWycombe25156450272351
3Wrexham25156437181951
4Huddersfield TownHuddersfield24145537191847
5Barnsley2512673933642
6Reading2412573933641
7Stockport CountyStockport25108737271038
8Leyton Orient24114932221037
9Mansfield TownMansfield2311483126537
10Bolton WanderersBolton2311483534137
11Charlton AthleticCharlton239772721634
12Lincoln CityLincoln258892830-232
13Stevenage238781820-231
14Exeter CityExeter2494112831-331
15Blackpool247983235-330
16Rotherham UnitedRotherham237792123-228
17Wigan AthleticWigan2376102123-227
18Northampton TownNorthampton2568112439-1526
19Peterborough UnitedPeterborough2474134146-525
20Bristol Rovers2474132238-1625
21Crawley TownCrawley2355132443-1920
22Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury2445152444-2017
23Cambridge UnitedCambridge2445152243-2117
24Burton Albion2428142038-1814


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