Hull City's Play-off Hopes Dented as Birmingham Snatch a Draw

A dramatic late equalizer from Tomoki Iwata thwarted Hull City's bid for a crucial Championship win, as Birmingham City battled back to secure a 1-1 draw at the MKM Stadium. Joe Gelhardt's 14th goal of the season had given Hull the lead midway through the first half, but Iwata's stunning long-range strike 13 minutes from time ensured the points were shared. The result leaves Hull two points clear of seventh-placed Wrexham, with both teams having three games remaining. Hull had taken the lead when Liam Millar's run down the left flank was halted, but the ball fell to Gelhardt, who turned and fired a crisp angled drive into the bottom corner with the aid of a significant deflection. The hosts almost doubled their advantage shortly after, but James Beadle atoned for his initial mistake by clawing a close-range effort from Oli McBurnie to safety. Birmingham were largely anonymous as an attacking force before the break, but they began to pose more of a threat in the second half. Demarai Gray forced a smart low save from Ivor Pandur, and soon after, Iwata was given time to fire home a memorable goal from 25 yards. Semi Ajayi's costly miss and Beadle's fine save from a stoppage-time McBurnie free-kick meant Birmingham escaped with a point, snapping their four-game losing run on the road. Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic acknowledged his team's struggles, saying, 'We're aware of dropping those 21 points from winning positions. We didn't play our best game today, which makes everything very tight. We have to be brave.' Birmingham boss Chris Davies, meanwhile, was encouraged by his team's performance, saying, 'We deserved a point, and if anyone could have won it, then it was us. The commitment from the team was there, and we showed resilience and character to stay in the game after going behind.'