Birmingham City’s terrible form continued when they were defeated 2-1 by Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Easter Monday.

Blues had grabbed the lead thanks to a brilliant Carlos Vicente finish, but goals from Ben Johnson and Kasey McAteer had put the hosts ahead by halftime, and that was how the game ended.

However, it does not tell the entire picture, as Chris Davies’ team improved significantly after the half, and they were incorrectly denied an equaliser after Dara O’Shea deflected an Ibrahim Osman cross into his own net.

Chris Davies blasts officials during a questionable incident in Ipswich’s victory over Birmingham

The on-loan Brighton player was a key figure following his entrance, and his cross appeared to have helped Blues level the score when it hit the Tractor Boys’ centre-back and went in.

Nonetheless, the assistant ruled that the ball was out of play, despite replays indicating that it had not fully crossed the line. So the goal was ruled out, and despite Blues’ efforts to get a second, they were defeated.

As one might assume, Davies was unhappy with the decision to rule out the goal in the second half, and he chastised the officials in an interview with Birmingham Live.

“I’ve never been more irritated in my football career by a decision from a linesman 60 yards out who guessed on a ball going out. Every player surrounding the ball and their reactions indicated that the ball was in play, but one official elected to guess incorrectly that the ball was out of play.

“After the game, I asked him ‘Why did you make that decision?'” And he answered, ‘I can promise you the ball was out of play; I wouldn’t have made it otherwise.’ He was mistaken, and when he watches the footage, he will realise it.

Birmingham City’s terrible form continued when they were defeated 2-1 by Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Easter Monday.

Blues had grabbed the lead thanks to a brilliant Carlos Vicente finish, but goals from Ben Johnson and Kasey McAteer had put the hosts ahead by halftime, and that was how the game ended.

However, it does not tell the entire picture, as Chris Davies’ team improved significantly after the half, and they were incorrectly denied an equaliser after Dara O’Shea deflected an Ibrahim Osman cross into his own net.

Chris Davies
Chris Davies blasts officials during a questionable incident in Ipswich’s victory over Birmingham
The on-loan Brighton player was a key figure following his entrance, and his cross appeared to have helped Blues level the score when it hit the Tractor Boys’ centre-back and went in.

Nonetheless, the assistant ruled that the ball was out of play, despite replays indicating that it had not fully crossed the line. So the goal was ruled out, and despite Blues’ efforts to get a second, they were defeated.

As one might assume, Davies was unhappy with the decision to rule out the goal in the second half, and he chastised the officials in an interview with Birmingham Live.

“I’ve never been more irritated in my football career by a decision from a linesman 60 yards out who guessed on a ball going out. Every player surrounding the ball and their reactions indicated that the ball was in play, but one official elected to guess incorrectly that the ball was out of play.

“After the game, I asked him ‘Why did you make that decision?'” And he answered, ‘I can promise you the ball was out of play; I wouldn’t have made it otherwise.’ He was mistaken, and when he watches the footage, he will realise it.

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“It has cost us, and these are critical moments, not only for us, but for the league. There’s a great prize at the top of this league, and tonight it cost us what we fully deserved.”

Chris Davies can draw encouragement from Birmingham City’s performance.

There isn’t much more to say about the goal than Davies has already said. The replays reveal it all; the ball was definitely in play, and Birmingham was wrongfully denied an equaliser, so you can see why the manager is upset.

As Davies points out, it might have a significant impact on the promotion race, and Millwall and Middlesbrough are undoubtedly angry.

It’s also not what Davies wanted at a time when he’s under intense scrutiny, but the truth is that he can take plenty of positives from the overall performance.

Ipswich are definitely one of the top teams in the Championship, and they are formidable on their own turf, so Birmingham’s performance was encouraging, particularly in the second half when they were the dominating side.

Now, Davies must use that as a benchmark for the final five games of the season, because even if the Blues don’t have much to play for, he may need some strong performances from the team to convince the hierarchy that he deserves to lead the team next season, when Birmingham is expected to be in the mix for promotion.