Huddersfield Town couldn’t force a third win in as many visits to St Andrew’s.
But an industrious display in the city which was once the workshop of the world at least stopped their losing sequence and sealed a deserved point.
While Birmingham might not be the manufacturing base it once was, some things stay the same.
David Cotterill always seems to make his mark against Town.
And the Wales international midfielder grabbed his third goal in as many games against them.
Having scored in Doncaster Rovers’ 2-0 home win over Town a year ago and fired in the free-kick which clinched Birmingham City’s 1-0 success at the John Smith’s Stadium in December, he opened the scoring here.
His well-placed shot from the right side of the area across keeper Alex Smithies came just 10 minutes in.
And after a busy start by Chris Powell ’s side, it made it 10 goals conceded in four games.
Things looked a little ominous, but after going down meekly to Rotherham United, Town refused to buckle against Brum.
An enforced 20th-minute change, with Sean Scannell coming on and Harry Bunn hobbling off with a recurrence of his hamstring injury, couldn’t deflect the visitors off course.
And after Scannell missed a great opportunity soon after his introduction, Joe Lolley forced home a 27th-minute equaliser after the home side failed to deal with Robinson’s long throw.
It was the former Kidderminster Harriers player’s third Town start – and his third goal for the club.
And given his rejection by Birmingham as a 16-year-old and his liking for their arch-rivals Aston Villa, it was surely the sweetest strike yet for the 22-year-old.
Both sides had their chances to turn one point into three, but they came and went, and a draw was a fair reflection of the contest.
Town played with much more conviction and confidence than of late, providing a platform for the forthcoming home games against Norwich City and Fulham.
Both nine-goal Bunn and left-back Robinson, who was taken off because of a knee problem, are doubts for the Norwich game.
And 12-goal top-scorer Nahki Wells may also have to sit out a fifth match because of the shoulder damage he suffered during the 3-0 home win over Reading.
But Lolley, Scannell and James Vaughan gave the Birmingham defence some problems.
And they had good support from midfield trio Jonathan Hogg, Conor Coady and Jacob Butterfield, who was always willing to go for goal.
Hogg produced an admirable performance, beavering away to break up attack after attack and spark upfield forays by his own team.
And Town looked far more solid at the back, with Joel Lynch a big influence. The centre-back also came close to adding to his three goals this season, testing home keeper Darren Randolph with a header in first-half stoppage time.
The Irishman had to make as many saves as Town stopper Smithies, and after the disappointment of the previous three games, Town can be far more satisfied with this showing, even if Wigan Athletic’s 2-1 win at Rotherham United left them closer to the relegation zone (the gap is now nine points with 27 left to play for).
Of 18th-placed Town’s remaining nine games, three are against sides below them (Fulham, Brighton and Blackpool), providing a big chance to put any lingering fears to bed.
