The final score failed to reflect Huddersfield Town’s domination of a one-sided second-city showdown.
Two years to the day since being sacked by Town , Lee Clark saw the kind of performance from his misfiring Birmingham side which would give any manager a sleepless night.
Meanwhile Mark Robins will have felt far better than he did following last Tuesday’s home defeat by Nottingham Forest after his team produced the kind of positive response he was seeking to chalk up a fourth away win of the Championship campaign, and 11th in total.
There were pluses all over the pitch for the visiting boss.
Centre-backs Anthony Gerrard , Tommy Smith, Joel Lynch and Peter Clarke (the captain made his comeback when Lynch failed to re-appear for the second half because of injury) showed control and composure.
Left-back Paul Dixon, who was watched by Scotland manager Gordon Strachan, produced a performance full of adventure.
And there was a busy frontline show by Danny Ward , who came close to scoring himself, made both goals, and showed he can defend as well as attack.
But midfield was the real key.
It wasn’t just that the goals were supplied by this department, with first Ollie Norwood , then Adam Clayton each making it five for the season.
For with Jonathan Hogg relentless in his running, challenging and closing down, Town took a firm grip.
They negated the threat of on-loan Manchester City talent Emyr Hughes, who had earned rave reviews in Birmingham’s previous games, and whatever tactical tweaks Clark made, whether within a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 framework, Town always seemed to have the answer.
Robins started out with his usual 3-5-2 set-up, but with Clarke back in action for the first time since the home defeat by Birmingham in early November, when he damaged knee ligaments, went to a flat back four in the second half, with Tommy Smith , head bandaged after a knock, going to right-back and Adam Hammill pushing further up.
There could have been more than the two goals, because Birmingham looked vulnerable, while Ward and Nahki Wells, who showed some of the predatory instincts which served him so well at Bradford, looked lively and hungry to get their names on the scoresheet.
The only minuses, in fact, were the injury to Lynch and the concession of the goal deep into stoppage time (the mood of the home fans in a 14,112 crowd (923 following Town) was shown when some of them booed ironically when a bumper five minutes were added!).
Town had done well against giant Serbian Nikola Zigic, but lost focus momentarily, allowing him to nod down a deep Paul Caddis cross for his fellow substitute Olly Lee to shoot home.
With referee Darren Deadman calling time just 30 seconds later, there was next to no chance of a comeback, and Town were able to reflect on three welcome points and two well-taken goals.
Ward was the provider on both occasions, in the 10th minute playing a deft lofted pass in to Norwood, who controlled neatly and slotted the ball home, and in the 61st, teeing up Clayton, who advanced past Hughes and unleashed a swerving 20-yarder which flew past Darren Randolph.
Now there are home games against Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley, and chance to add to that 40-point tally.
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Run of the ball
5mins: Anthony Gerrard makes a crucial penalty-area challenge after Joel Lynch’s slip lets in Chris Burke.
7mins: Danny Ward drills a low shot just wide.
10mins: Ward turns provider, picking up Adam Clayton’s delivery and lofting a pass through to Ollie Norwood, who controls neatly and shoots home to put Town ahead.
16mins: Nahki Wells comes close with a cheeky back-heel as Ward nods on Paul Dixon’s cross.
27mins: Birmingham’s Tom Adeyemi heads wide from Burke’s cross.
34mins: Norwood sets up Ward for a shot on the turn which is held.
35mins: Alex Smithies saves from Emyr Huws.
38mins: Huws breaks through but is thwarted by Adam Hammill’s tackle.
39mins: Burke’s curling shot is held by Smithies.
40mins: Home keeper Darren Randolph gathers a Wells snap-shot.
55mins: Huws’ drive is saved.
61mins: Town go two up as Clayton starts and finishes a slick move. Breaking from midfield, he passes to Dixon, with Jonathan Hogg also involved before Ward tees up his teammate to advance and shoot home from 20 yards.
75mins: Ward has a shot saved by Randolph.
90+4mins: Birmingham grab a consolation as a Paul Caddis cross is nodded down by Nikola Zigic for his fellow substitute Olly Lee to shoot home.
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