Interim manager Roy Hodgson, who is expected to call time on a 50‑year managerial career, endured a defeat for Bristol City in what is likely to be his final away fixture, played under the bright sunshine at St Andrew's. The former England head coach watched his side fall 2-1 after conceding first‑half goals from Phil Neumann and Jhon Solis, while Tomi Horvat's late spot‑kick served only as a consolation. The 78‑year‑old Hodgson faced a Birmingham side that arrived with a clear purpose: to close out their home campaign on a high note.

The hosts made three changes to the lineup that had secured a win over Preston earlier in the week, most notably the inclusion of Demarai Gray in place of the injured Ibrahim Osman. Gray made his presence felt within eight minutes, delivering a right‑hand free‑kick that curled into the penalty area where an unmarked Neumann met it with a soft volley from ten yards out. The German’s shot slipped past goalkeeper Radek Vitek and landed in the net, marking his third goal of the season.

Just eleven minutes later Gray thought he might have added his own name to the scoresheet. From a more central set‑piece, he surged toward the near post and struck the ball with the outside of his foot, but his effort failed to find the target. Four minutes after that, Jamaican international Jhon Solis was first to react to a cross from Carlos Vicente at the back post; however, his connection lacked the speed to beat Vitek.

The Robins' keeper could do little to prevent Solis' 29th‑minute strike. Birmingham manager Chris Davies had instructed the Colombian forward to press higher up the pitch, a tactic that paid off when Solis forced a loose touch from Sam Morsy and volleyed the ball into the net. Referee Robert Jones confirmed the goal after consulting his watch. At halftime Bristol City made a substitution, bringing on Rob Dickie for Cam Pring, but the change failed to disrupt Birmingham's attacking rhythm.

Five minutes into the second half, Kai Wagner's corner was cleared only as far as Vicente, who, from about 20 yards out, slashed a bouncing ball toward goal. The effort required a fingertip’s touch to cross the line. Two minutes later, Jay Stansfield threaded a pass behind the Robins' back line, setting up August Priske for a one‑on‑one with Vitek. The goalkeeper ventured out, lifted the ball, but it struck the upright and bounced back into play.

Seconds after, Gray delivered a left‑wing cross that Priske met cleanly with his left foot; the shot glanced wide of the post. Hope resurfaced for the visitors in the 82nd minute when Stansfield slid in on Horvat inside the left side of the penalty area, drawing a foul and awarding a spot‑kick.

The Slovenian keeper rose to the occasion, sending James Beadle the wrong way from the twelve‑yard spot, preserving Birmingham's lead. After the match, Birmingham’s Chris Davies praised his side’s home record: "We've been excellent at home. We've been in the top three or four for home form.

We've lost three games at home in the whole two seasons I've been here. If there's another team in England that's done that, I'd be surprised. It's a fortress because it's one of those grounds that people don't like coming to, the fans give us that extra edge.

There's a great feeling here, a confidence, everything about the stadium, it's something pretty special we need to hang on to and the fans absolutely play their part. Of course we need to try and improve our away form, but the home form for me is always the most important thing for a team." Hodgson, when asked about his future, declined to rule out a possible return to management after his Bristol City contract expires. He admitted to being cautious with his words, noting he has already made a few public missteps and that there are only so many "gold watches" to be earned. He said, "Who knows?

I've never been putting my CV out to clubs anyway. I've not had an agent ringing around trying to find me a job.

I've just been fortunate, I suppose, that one or two jobs have found me, that I felt I'm able to do - and have broken a retirement promise to my wife and come back and taken them. I refuse really anymore to say 'right, this was great, I shall never even contemplate being in football in another role again'.

That would be a mistake because I might. Some nice little national team might come and say 'come and join us for a little bit, work every now and again', I might enjoy that.

I didn't expect this one, it was a real surprise when this came out but it was a pleasant surprise, it happens, and one that I'm glad that I took the opportunity." The match also featured promotional content for a £250,000 Super 6 competition, which remains free to enter with entries closing at 3 pm on Saturday.