In what is likely to be the final away fixture of his half‑century managerial journey, interim Bristol City boss Roy Hodgson endured a 2-1 defeat under the bright St Andrew's sun. The seasoned former England manager watched his side fall behind early, conceding two first‑half goals before a late penalty by Tomi Horvat offered only a consolation. The 78‑year‑old Hodgson’s men faced a Birmingham side that came out with purpose, eager to close out their home campaign on a high note. Birmingham made three alterations 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’s arrival proved decisive almost immediately. Within eight minutes of kickoff, he delivered a right‑flank free‑kick that curled into the penalty area, finding Phil Neumann unmarked. The German striker, positioned just ten yards from goal, struck a cushioned volley that slipped past goalkeeper Radek Vitek, marking his third goal of the season.

Just a minute later, Gray appeared to have added his own name to the scoresheet. From a centrally‑taken set‑piece, he surged toward the near post and connected with the ball’s outside, only for it to glance harmlessly away. Four minutes after that, Jamaican international Jhon Solis reacted first to a cross from Carlos Vicente at the back post, but his effort lacked the speed to beat Vitek. The decisive moment arrived in the 29th minute when Birmingham’s manager Chris Davies instructed Solis to press higher up the pitch.

The Colombian responded instantly, forcing a loose ball from Sam Morsy. Solis volleyed the ball toward goal, and referee Robert Jones confirmed the ball had crossed the line, giving Birmingham a 2-0 lead.

At the interval, Bristol City made a substitution, bringing on Rob Dickie for Cam Pring, but the change failed to disrupt Birmingham’s attacking rhythm. The second half began with a corner from Kai Wagner that was cleared only to reach Vicente 20 yards from goal. The Spaniard struck a bouncing ball that required a fingertip save from Vitek. Shortly thereafter, Jay Stansfield threaded a pass behind the Robins’ defence, allowing August Priske to meet a lofted ball from Vitek.

The goalkeeper rushed out, but his chip hit the upright and bounced back into play. Gray continued to threaten from the left wing, sending a cross that Priske met cleanly with his left foot; the shot narrowly missed the target. Bristol City’s hopes were revived in the 82nd minute when Stansfield slipped past Horvat on the left side of the penalty area, drawing a foul and earning a penalty. The Slovenian striker calmly stepped up and sent James Beadle the wrong way from the spot, narrowing the deficit to 2-1.

After the match, Birmingham’s manager Chris Davies praised his team’s home form, describing St Andrew's as a fortress. "We’ve been excellent at home. We’ve been in the top three or four for home form.

We’ve lost only 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 is 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," he said. Hodgson, reflecting on his future, admitted he was reluctant to rule out a return to management once his Bristol City contract ends.

"I’ve got to be very careful what I say now, I’ve made a bit of a fool of myself two or three times already, there’s only so many gold watches you can get. 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 Sky Sports and a Super 6 competition, reminding fans to download the Sky Sports app, watch EFL on Sky with NOW, and noting that a £250,000 prize pool is available for free entry until 3 pm Saturday.