Hull City's bid for a Championship playoff spot suffered a setback as Tomoki Iwata's stunning late equalizer earned Birmingham a 1-1 draw at the MKM Stadium. Joe Gelhardt had given Hull the lead with his 14th goal of the season, but Iwata's 25-yard strike 13 minutes from time denied the hosts a crucial win. The result leaves Hull two points ahead of Wrexham in seventh, with both teams having three games left to play. The Tigers had taken the lead through Gelhardt's 24th-minute strike, which came after Liam Millar launched a move down the left.
Gelhardt turned and fired into the bottom corner with a crisp angled drive from 15 yards, aided by a significant deflection off defender Phil Neumann. Birmingham were largely anonymous as an attacking force before the break, but they improved in the second half and eventually earned their reward through Iwata's memorable goal. Hull defender Semi Ajayi missed a chance to win it for his team in stoppage time, blazing a close-range shot wide.
The draw extends Birmingham's unbeaten run to one game, while Hull are now without a win in four league matches. Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic admitted his team had not played their best game, but vowed to be brave and try to win their remaining games. Birmingham boss Chris Davies was encouraged by his team's performance, saying they deserved a point and showed resilience and character to stay in the game after going behind.