No Playoff Talk From Clark

Birmingham manager Lee Clark is keeping his feet on the ground while others are busy tipping his side for a late playoff run.

Blue do stand a chance as it happens, all the talk before the game at Selhurst Park on Friday was about Crystal Palace going second, but at the end of the day the Blues had reduced them to looking no more than a side fighting off relegation.

Nathan Redmond scored an excellent solo effort in the 24th minute to set City on their way, then eight minutes later Damien Delany put the ball into his own net to give Birmingham a two goal lead.

After holding off a bit of Palace pressure at the start of the second half then hit their third through Ravel Morrison.

Shane Ferguson then made absolutely sure with a fourth goal to humiliate the home side.

Clark told reporters: ‘When you come to a place like this you expect it to be tough and a close match.

‘It was but not in my wildest dreams did I expect the margin of victory to be that big and, in all honesty, it was fully deserved as well. It wasn’t a fluke.

‘We had 11 fantastic performances today. You can’t come to a place like this and carry any passengers.’

Birmingham’s third win on the trot moves them up to 10th in the standings and puts them within seven points of the play-offs.

‘We are just looking at the clubs directly above us to try and peg them back,’ he said.

‘We are also not being arrogant or ignorant and thinking we are out of what is going on behind us as well.’