In what is likely to be the final away appearance of his half‑century managerial journey, interim Bristol City boss Roy Hodgson endured a 2-1 defeat at St Andrew's under a bright Birmingham sky. The veteran, who once steered England's national side, watched his side fall behind early and ultimately fail to overturn the result despite a late penalty from Tomi Horvat that only served as a consolation.

Birmingham entered the match with a clear purpose: to finish their home campaign on a high note. They 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 made an immediate impact, delivering a right‑hand free kick that curled into the box, where he found the unmarked German defender Phil Neumann. From just ten yards out, Neumann cushioned the ball and volleyed it past goalkeeper Radek Vitek, giving the home side a 1-0 lead and marking their third goal of the season.

Just eleven minutes later, Gray thought he might add his name to the scoresheet. From a more central set‑piece, he surged toward the near post and struck the ball on the outside of his foot, only to see it glance harmlessly wide.

Four minutes after that, Jamaican international Jhon Solis was first to react to a cross from Carlos Vicente at the back post, but his effort lacked the speed to beat Vitek. The turning point 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 touch from Sam Morsy. Solis volleyed the ball towards goal and, after a brief consultation with referee Robert Jones, the official confirmed that the ball had crossed the line, putting Birmingham ahead 2-0.

At halftime, Bristol City made a substitution, bringing on Rob Dickie for Cam Pring, but the change failed to disrupt Birmingham’s attacking rhythm. Early in the second half, Kai Wagner’s corner was cleared only as far as Vicente, who, from about 20 yards out, struck a bouncing ball that required a tip over the line to count. Two minutes later, Jay Stansfield threaded a pass behind the Robins’ defence, setting up August Priske for a one‑on‑one with Vitek. The goalkeeper rushed out, lifted the ball, but his chip struck the upright and rebounded to safety.

Seconds after, Gray delivered a left‑wing cross that Priske met cleanly with his left foot; the shot whistled just wide of the post. Hope resurfaced for the visitors in the 82nd minute when Stansfield slipped past Horvat on the left side of the penalty area, earning a penalty. Horvat, the Slovenian, steadied himself and sent James Beadle the wrong way from the spot, preserving Birmingham’s lead. After the final whistle, Chris Davies praised his side’s home record, stating, "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, meanwhile, reflected on his uncertain future, refusing to rule out a possible return to management once his tenure at Bristol City concludes. He admitted, "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 the Sky Sports app and the Super 6 competition, reminding fans that a £250,000 prize pool is available for free entry until 3 pm on Saturday.