Birmingham manager Chris Davies hailed the “relentlessness” of his team after a routine 2-0 win against Bolton put them four points clear at the top of Sky Bet League One.
Tomoki Iwata’s cushioned third-minute volley and substitute Jay Stansfield’s 83rd-minute penalty sealed Blues’ ninth win in 11 games.
Bolton missed the chance to equalise late on when John McAtee missed a one-on-one chance with goalkeeper Ryan Allsop.
But a point for Bolton would have flattered Ian Evatt’s side after Alfie May was denied in a one-on-one and Ethan Laird’s header was superbly denied by goalkeeper Luke Southwood.
“It was one of our best performances of the season,” said Davies.
“There was a period in the first half that was one of our strongest periods. We had a relentlessness about us.
“It was about pressing, intensity, hard work, running and chasing and we did that.
“It came together nicely and we created some good chances.”
Iwata has now scored four goals in all competitions this season despite being a defensive midfielder, but Davies said this one was the pick.
“The ones he has scored have been at a really high level,” added Davies.
“He’s arriving on to things from different angles and from different positions.
“This one was probably the pick because it came out of the air and it was a difficult technique.
“It was an exceptional goal, but he’s humble and he works hard for the team, every game he’s up for it and that’s why he’s so important for us.”
Evatt, who served the second of a three-match touchline ban, insisted his side threw away the chance of a point with McAtee’s miss.
“They’re as good as I’ve seen at this level,” Evatt said of Birmingham.
“We hung in there and got the moment we wanted – John had to score.
“If he had, that would have been 1-1, and we’d have been in the ascendancy.
“We had a plan to be tight and be in the game at 60 minutes and then we could get the attackers on, be a bit more adventurous and go for it.
“The disappointing thing was we conceded very early, and it was a bit self-inflicted.”
Evatt felt the penalty should not have been given.
“Will (Forrester) was trying to block the ball and his momentum carried him through,” he said.
“You see that tackle so many times during games and the referee – who I thought was very poor – couldn’t wait to give the penalty.”
Not surprisingly, Davies disagreed, saying: “There could have been two penalties there – if he’d have gone down from the first challenge, that would have been a penalty, and the second one was a lunge and a foul.”
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