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Birmingham logo
Championship
Mar 14, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Huddersfield logo

1-1

Cotterill (10')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Lolley (27')

Preview: Birmingham City vs. Huddersfield Town

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Birmingham and Huddersfield at St Andrew's as the visitors look to end a three-game losing streak.

Huddersfield Town will be looking to take a big step towards Championship survival when they face Birmingham City at St Andrew's on Saturday.

The Terriers currently have an 11-point gap separating them from the bottom three with just 10 matches remaining, but three consecutive defeats have postponed their celebrations in recent weeks.

It would take an unlikely set of results for them to be dragged back down into danger, but Chris Powell will not be taking anything for granted and will know that three points this weekend would go a long way towards securing their status in the second tier for at least another season.

They have only won one of their last seven matches, however, while their ongoing three-game losing streak includes nine goals conceded and just one scored at the other end.

The latest of those defeats saw them fall 2-0 at home to struggling Rotherham United last weekend to put them on the verge of four straight league losses for the first time since November 2000.

Two of those have come away from home, and Huddersfield have generally struggled on their travels so far this season, failing to beat any team currently outside the relegation zone on the road since the beginning of August.

Indeed, only three teams have a worse away record than Town, although they have won on their last two visits to St Andrew's and are looking to make it three on the bounce for the first time since 1934.

Powell is hoping to have Harry Bunn available for selection, but Nahki Wells will not be fit in time having only recently returned to non-contact training.

Joe Lolley will be hoping for a start on his return to his boyhood club, while there will also be a reunion in the dugout as former teammates Powell and Gary Rowett renew acquaintances.

The duo played together at both Derby County and Charlton Athletic, but it is Rowett who currently boasts the better league position having steered Birmingham to safety during his time in charge of the club.

They are on course to end the season on a high, and victory this weekend could see them climb back up into the top half should other results also go their way.

It wasn't until the final minute of the final day that they secured their Championship status last season and, while the stakes weren't quite as high, there was more late drama last weekend as Birmingham took another step towards mathematical safety this term.

The Blues looked to be dead and buried at 2-0 down against high-flying Derby, but Paul Caddis - who got the goal to keep them in the division last term - and Clayton Donaldson scored in the 93rd and 96th minutes respectively to rescue a dramatic 2-2 draw at the iPro Stadium.

They will be hoping that the momentum has carried over from that match, which extended their recent unbeaten run to three games following back-to-back 1-0 victories over Brentford and Blackpool.

Both of those wins came at home, where Birmingham have lost just one of their last six league outings and two in 11 under Rowett - a far cry from their dismal record at St Andrew's before his arrival.

Rowett will still be without Stephen Gleeson as he serves the final game of his three-match ban, meaning that new signing Robert Tesche should continue in central midfield.

Donaldson's equaliser at the death may have earned him a recall to the starting lineup in place of Lee Novak, with no new injury concerns for Rowett. Koby Arthur, Michael Morrison, Gavin Gunning and Matt Green remain doubts.

Birmingham:

Recent form: DLLWWD

Possible starting lineup: Randolph; Caddis, Grounds, Spector, Robinson; Shinnie, Davis, Tesche, Cotterill, Gray; Donaldson

Huddersfield:

Recent form: DDWLLL

Possible starting lineup: Smithies; Smith, Hudson, Wallace, Robinson; Edgar, Coady, Butterfield; Lolley, Vaughan, Scannell

Sports Mole says: 2-0


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Written by
Barney Corkhill
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