Birmingham City remain in relegation trouble after being held to a goalless draw at bottom side Rotherham, in a game that was delayed by a medical emergency in the crowd.
The players left the pitch for 30 minutes early on while medics attended to a fan.
Both sides struggled in front of goal in what was Steve Evans’ first match at the helm since returning to Rotherham, following Leam Richardson’s departure.
Jay Stansfield thought he had won it for the Blues late on, although his effort was ruled out as the points were shared.
Gary Rowett’s side stay 21st but are now two points clear of Huddersfield Town with two games remaining.
Already-relegated Rotherham remain rock bottom on 24 points but at least made an unbeaten start to their second stint under Evans, ending a three-match losing run.
Birmingham started on the front foot, with Tyler Roberts volleying wide after being picked out by Keshi Anderson.
Oli Burke’s slick play on the right led to Anderson shooting from close range, although Viktor Johansson did well to deny the forward.
Rotherham’s already thin squad became further stretched as Arvin Appiah and Cohen Bramall replaced Cafu and Peter Kioso respectively.
The changes did little to help the flow of what was already a lacklustre contest between two sides at the bottom end of the table.
The pattern of the second half remained the same, although the visitors looked on course for a crucial three points when Stansfield fired beyond Johansson in the 76th minute, only for the assistant referee’s flag to go up to ensure the game ended goalless.
Birmingham now face a huge game at relegation rivals Huddersfield on Saturday, where they could secure their safety with victory.
Line-ups
Rotherham
Formation 4-3-1-2
- 1Johansson
- 40KiosoSubstituted forBramallat 37′minutes
- 21PeltierBooked at 87mins
- 24HumphreysBooked at 52mins
- 28Revan
- 18Rathbone
- 12Rinomhota
- 22Odoffin
- 7Ribeiro DiasSubstituted forAppiahat 32′minutes
- 10HugillBooked at 51minsSubstituted forEavesat 81′minutesBooked at 84mins
- 29Nombe
Substitutes
- 3Bramall
- 9Eaves
- 20Hall
- 26Phillips
- 30Appiah
- 38Seriki
- 42Hatton
Birmingham
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 21Ruddy
- 2Laird
- 6Bielik
- 5Sanderson
- 3Buchanan
- 13Paik Seung-ho
- 34Sunjic
- 45BurkeSubstituted forMiyoshiat 45′minutes
- 8RobertsSubstituted forBacunaat 59′minutes
- 14AndersonBooked at 63minsSubstituted forDembéléat 78′minutes
- 28StansfieldBooked at 76minsSubstituted forHoganat 89′minutes
Substitutes
- 1Etheridge
- 4Roberts
- 7Bacuna
- 9Hogan
- 11Miyoshi
- 17Dembélé
- 19James
- 20Gardner
- 35Hall
- Referee:
- Keith Stroud
- Attendance:
- 11,001
Live Text
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Match ends, Rotherham United 0, Birmingham City 0.
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Second Half ends, Rotherham United 0, Birmingham City 0.
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Corner, Rotherham United. Conceded by John Ruddy.
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Attempt saved. Sebastian Revan (Rotherham United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Oliver Rathbone.
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Siriki Dembélé (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Hakeem Odoffin (Rotherham United).
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Attempt saved. Koji Miyoshi (Birmingham City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Krystian Bielik.
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Ethan Laird (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Tom Eaves (Rotherham United).
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Attempt blocked. Cohen Bramall (Rotherham United) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
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Substitution, Birmingham City. Scott Hogan replaces Jay Stansfield.
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Corner, Birmingham City. Conceded by Sebastian Revan.
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Lee Peltier (Rotherham United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Siriki Dembélé (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Lee Peltier (Rotherham United).
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Corner, Birmingham City. Conceded by Lee Peltier.
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Tom Eaves (Rotherham United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Ethan Laird (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Tom Eaves (Rotherham United).
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Substitution, Rotherham United. Tom Eaves replaces Jordan Hugill because of an injury.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.