Source: PA
McLeish buoyed by Blues character
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish praised his players' mental fortitude after they emerged triumphant from a pulsating encounter with Blackpool to haul themselves out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone.
Alexander Hleb pounced on a mistake by Stephen Crainey to put Blues ahead in the first half at Bloomfield Road before DJ Campbell's 68th-minute equaliser.
The visitors then sealed a dramatic 2-1 victory right at the end of a chaotic match in which the woodwork had been struck three times.
Roger Johnson headed the ball down for Scott Dann to fire home the winner with a minute of normal time remaining, and McLeish felt his team had done well to overcome the psychological burden of knowing they were in the bottom three going into the game.
"We showed the character right to the end," said McLeish. "It is a great lift. The players themselves know they played extremely well in the first half and that they didn't do so well in the second half, but there is obviously a big psychological effect when you find yourself at the bottom of the table."
