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Wycombe Wanderers
Championship | Gameweek 26
Feb 2, 2021 at 7pm UK
Adams Park
Birmingham logo

Wycombe
0 - 0
Birmingham


Grimmer (86')
FT

Dean (79')
Roberts (87')

Birmingham manager Aitor Karanka dismisses relegation talk

Birmingham manager Aitor Karanka dismisses relegation talk
© Reuters
The visitors lie within three points of the drop zone following a goalless stalemate.

Birmingham manager Aitor Karanka has insisted he is not worried about relegation despite his team falling to within three points of the Championship's bottom three as a result of their 0-0 draw at Wycombe.

The Blues have now won just one of their last 10 games and, thanks to Nottingham Forest's win against Coventry, are now fourth from bottom in the table.

Sheffield Wednesday's win at Bournemouth also drew them closer to danger, following a night where Birmingham were left frustrated by Ryan Allsop's heroics in goal for the hosts.

Karanka said: "When I came here, I knew it was going to be a tough season. It's impossible to think about being in a higher position when the team was going in the way it was going last year.

"We brought in players without spending money, and in the market we bought players without spending the money that other teams had.

"We're not complaining, it's just to show the reality for everybody.

"We knew it was going to be difficult and it's been difficult, so we'll just keep going.

"It's a shame because we played a good game, we had a lot of chances and from our chances their keeper was super and we didn't score.

"It's difficult to accept, once again, when we're playing like we did today and we are not winning games, but it is time to keep a strong mentality, to keep going because once again we have shown we are creating chances."

Wycombe came closest to scoring in the first half when Birmingham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge did superbly to keep out Uche Ikpeazu's deflected effort.

Allsop then shone after the break, with exceptional saves from Mikel San Jose and Maxime Colin, before Birmingham's Marc Roberts was sent off late on for a cynical lunge on Fred Onyedinma.

Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth said: "It wouldn't have looked out of place in League Two – no disrespect to League Two, but there was very limited moments of quality out there.

"I think what was Premier League was probably the two goalkeepers – I think both made what were match-saving saves.

"Ryan Allsop has made a couple and Neil Etheridge had one in the first half that was deflected and he was going the wrong way to start with, that was an unbelievable save.

"I think if anyone comes out with credit, it's the goalkeepers and that's usually the story of a 0-0.

"I'm pleased after Saturday [when Wycombe lost 7-2 at Brentford] because we progressed a great deal and that was important.

"Either team nicking it would have been unjust – they probably had the share of the chances over us, but I'm pleased that we've battled well against a very strong Birmingham side."

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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Birmingham CityBirmingham23165241172453
2Wycombe WanderersWycombe25156450272351
3Wrexham25156437181951
4Huddersfield TownHuddersfield24145537191847
5Barnsley2512673933642
6Reading2412573933641
7Stockport CountyStockport25108737271038
8Leyton Orient24114932221037
9Mansfield TownMansfield2311483126537
10Bolton WanderersBolton2311483534137
11Charlton AthleticCharlton239772721634
12Lincoln CityLincoln258892830-232
13Stevenage238781820-231
14Exeter CityExeter2494112831-331
15Blackpool247983235-330
16Rotherham UnitedRotherham237792123-228
17Wigan AthleticWigan2376102123-227
18Northampton TownNorthampton2568112439-1526
19Peterborough UnitedPeterborough2474134146-525
20Bristol Rovers2474132238-1625
21Crawley TownCrawley2355132443-1920
22Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury2445152444-2017
23Cambridge UnitedCambridge2445152243-2117
24Burton Albion2428142038-1814


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