- McFadden (45 pen)
- Date:2010-02-27
- Kick-off:15:00
- Venue:St Andrews Stadium
- Attendance:25921
- Referee:Taylor, A
Live Commentary
90mins
Full time: BIRMINGHAM 1-0 WIGAN: Birmingham survive a late fight-back by Wigan to seal a valuable three points.
89mins
Jerome is replaced by Madera.
89mins
Ridgewell is booked for kicking the ball away.
85mins
Almost a late goal for Wigan but Gomez pokes wide from Rodallega's shot.
82mins
Gomez and Melchiot get in each others way as Moses looked to break.
80mins
McCarthy makes way for Gomez.
80mins
Carr is replaced by Gardner.
78mins
Ferguson's shot deflects off Bowyer and bounces out for a goal-kick to Wigan.
75mins
It seems the corner flag hit the linesman and cut his head.
75mins
There's a break in play as the linesman receives treament. He was knocked down when Ridgewell tackled McCarthy on the touchline.
72mins
Scotland breaks into the Birmingham box but Johnson races across to win the ball off the Wigan striker.
70mins
Twenty minutes to go and Wigan are starting to show signs of getting back into the game.
69mins
Caldwell is booked for taking Jerome out.
66mins
Great save by Hart. Rodallega raced through but the England hopeful palmed the ball to safety.
63mins
Goal scorer McFadden leaves the field to be replaced by Phillips.
62mins
Kirkland does well to smother a powerful long-range shot from McFadden.
60mins
Scotland tries his luck from distance but the ball goes harmlessly over the Birmingham goal.
57mins
Good chance for Bowyer from McFadden's cross but the Blues midfielder can't control it and Bramble clears.
55mins
McCarthy's 25 yard shot is blocked and cleared by Dann.
52mins
The second half has started slowly compared to a lively first 45mins from both sides.
51mins
Rodallega is booked for a late tackle on Johnson.
49mins
Dann heads another chance wide of goal. Larsson was again the creator.
47mins
Moses pumps a deep cross into the Birmingham box but Hart deals with it.
46mins
WIgan get the second half under way.
46mins
Double substitution by Wigan as Scharner and N'Zogbia make way for Scotland and Moses.
45mins
Half time: BIRMINGHAM 1-0 WIGAN: Late drama at St Andrews mean Blues take a narrow but deserved lead in at the break.
45mins
BIRMINGHAM 1-0 WIGAN: MCFADDEN steps up and slams the ball past Kirkland.
45mins
Penalty to Birmingham! Melchiot is penalised for bringing down Fahey
42mins
Jerome hacks down Melchiot. Free kick to Wigan but no card for the Blues striker.
39mins
Kirkland makes another fine save to deny McFadden.
37mins
N'Zogbia is booked for something he said to the referee.
37mins
Good play by N'Zogbia causes mayhem in the Birmingham box but Sharner's eventual shot is cleared by Dann.
35mins
McFadden races through on goal but is flagged offside.
32mins
Kirkland makes a fine reaction save from Jerome's volley and pushes the ball out for a corner.
30mins
Wigan keep giving the ball away cheaply and the home side are starting to dominate.
27mins
Bramble and Figueroa team up to deny Jerome and clear the danger. Birmingham are starting to take control of the game.
25mins
Jerome drags a shot well wide of the Wigan goal after good play by Fahey.
22mins
Dann heads wide of goal on the edge of the six yard box from Larsson's free-kick.
19mins
Bramble gets his head to Fahey's deep cross and clears the danger.
17mins
It's been a decent start by both sides in what is an open game so far.
15mins
So close for Birmingham as Larsson's cross is headed onto the bar by Ridgewell. McCarthy clears the danger for Wigan.
12mins
Bramble swings a boot at Caldwell's knockdown but the centre-back's shot goes high over the Birmingham goal.
9mins
Great chance for Wigan. Rodallega drills in a low shot that flies a yard wide of the Birmingham goal.
7mins
Ridgewell almost deflects a Scharner header into his own goal - but Hart smothers the ball.
5mins
Caldwell does well to deny McFadden just as the Blues striker looked to fire in a shot from the edge of the box.
3mins
Johnson sends a long pass over the top looking for Jerome but the ball sails out of play.
1mins
Dann is forced to clear his lines under pressure from McCarthy.
0mins
Referee Anthony Taylor gets the game under way.
0mins
The teams are out at St Andrews. Birmingham will be looking to get back on track after losing 3-1 to Fulham. Wigan desperately need three points to pull away from the relegation zone.
0mins
Wigan: Kirkland, Melchiot, Caldwell, Bramble, Figueroa, Thomas, Scharner, Diame, McCarthy, N'Zogbia, Rodallega
0mins
Titus Bramble comes back into the Wigan defence after missing the 3-0 FA Cup defeat to Spurs in midweek. Marcelo Moreno drops to the bench.
0mins
Birmingham: Hart, Carr, Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell, Larsson, Ferguson, Bowyer, Fahey, Jerome, McFadden
0mins
Blues boss Alex McLeish names the same side that lost away to Fulham last time out, so Keith Fahey continues ahead of Christian Benitez.
Match Preview
Birmingham City will be keen to return to winning ways after recent wobbles when they entertain relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic at St Andrew's on Saturday.
Alex McLeish's side slipped to tenth place in the Premier League table when they were beaten by Fulham last weekend, their ninth loss of the campaign and third in five matches following recent setbacks at West Ham United and Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge drubbing in January put an end to their impressive 12-match unbeaten run which had propelled them to unlikely Europa League challengers.
However, a return of just four points from five matches appears to have ended that possibility with McLeish instead admitting that he is now looking to end the season in the top half of the table.
The Blues remain hard to beat at St Andrew's though where they are unbeaten in nine matches, a sequence stretching back to a 2-1 defeat against Bolton Wanderers in September, and face a Wigan side this weekend that they beat 3-2 at the DW Stadium in December.
McLeish has almost a full squad to choose from with only Lee Carsley (ankle) and Garry O'Connor (hip) currently in the treatment room.
Meanwhile, relegation has begun to look a real possibility for a Wigan side that continues to leak goals at an alarming rate.
Last weekend's 3-0 home loss to Spurs left Roberto Martinez's side only two points clear of the drop-zone and was the seventh time they have conceded three or more goals in a league game this season.
They have taken only three points from the last 18 on offer and were also unceremoniously dumped out of the FA Cup by League Two side Notts County earlier this month.
Match Report
Scotland international James McFadden regained his goalscoring form, albeit from the penalty spot, to help Birmingham City to a 1-0 victory at home to Wigan Athletic.
McFadden, operating as an out and out striker, notched only his third goal of the season but it was sufficient to enable Birmingham to regain winning form after two successive defeats and also to complete the double over Wigan.
But the Scots' overall form was not out of the top draw and he was replaced by veteran striker Kevin Phillips in the 63rd minute.
Poor Wigan's decline continued and they have now gone seven games without a win, while Birmingham's latest success almost certainly guarantees top-flight football again next season.
To their credit Wigan began in a positive frame of mind with Hugo Rodellega and Charles N'Zogbia going close with strong shots but they are deep in trouble.
But it was Birmingham who created the best goalscoring opportunity of the early stages when Scott Dann headed a Seb Larsson free-kick against the bar.
With McFadden in a forward role and under instructions to challenge more often in the box, Birmingham took a long time to get into the game.
It was very much one-paced with neither side really gaining the upper hand. Cameron Jerome threatened to lift the game out of the doldrums when he shot on the turn, only to see Chris Kirkland make a blocking save.
Jerome then hesitated when put in possession by Liam Ridgewell and seconds later the Birmingham defender provided another cross only to see McFadden's effort scrambled off the line.
In view of these misses it is hardly surprising that the fewest number of goals have been scored at St. Andrew's this season compared to other grounds in the top-flight.
But in the last minute of the first half Birmingham finally took the lead in controversial circumstances.
Wigan's captain Mario Melchiot, a former Birmingham player, was adjudged to have fouled Keith Fahey on the edge of the penalty area. It was something of a harsh decision as a replay did not show any contact by Melchiot.
McFadden was not complaining and he slotted away the spot-kick to put Birmingham in the driving seat.
As expected it was Wigan who went in search of the equaliser as they upped the pace.
They very nearly achieved their objective in the 67th minute when Joe Hart was forced to make the save of the match from a snap shot by Wigan's most dangerous player, Rodallega.
The game was held up for a spell up when a referee assistant, Trevor Massey, was hit
on the forehead by a corner flag following a sliding tackle by Ridgewell on James McCarthy.
With blood streaming from the head wound the official was replaced by Steve Bennett.
Birmingham became increasingly anxious after that and Gary Caldwell was accorded an excellent opportunity to equalise, only to screw the ball wide from close range.
Birmingham City Team
Wigan Athletic Team
Birmingham City | Wigan Athletic |
Corners
| 2 | 7 |
Fouls
| 16 | 18 |
Goal attempts
| 11 | 7 |
Shots off target
| 5 | 5 |
Offsides
| 2 | 2 |
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87mins
Rodallega tries an overhead kick in the box but the ball flies high over the bar.