Birmingham City 1 - 0 Fulham

Rarely, if ever, can Steve Bruce have celebrated a goal with such an outpouring of emotion. Having not seen his side win at home in the Premiership since May the Birmingham manager’s relief was understandable as he danced along the touchline after Nicky Butt secured three precious points with a stooping header five minutes from time.

It was a breakthrough Birmingham thoroughly deserved after putting Fulham under sustained pressure for much of the second half. Finally those efforts yielded reward when Jamie Clapham delivered a deep cross from the left that Emile Heskey astutely nodded down. Butt, having timed his run perfectly, propelled the ball beyond Mark Crossley and into the far corner of the net.

Birmingham’s chairman David Gold described this encounter: ‘As important a game as I can ever remember in the history of Birmingham City.’ Bruce hardly needed telling that, though his hopes of turning round Birmingham’s dreadful form ought to have been buoyed by the visit of Fulham, who had not won on their travels since they pilfered three points here 11 months ago.

West Ham did likewise last Monday, prompting Bruce to make five changes yesterday, one of which was Marcos Painter who, having previously made one Carling Cup appearance as a substitute, was given a full debut. He came into a team that had been urged to adopt a more physical approach by their manager, though commitment and resilience came at a price.

Only David Dunn, ever the entertainer with his deft flicks and adroit step-overs, provided any semblance of creativity in the first half as Birmingham appeared as nervous as their supporters. Home fans might have met the co-owner’s request to turn out in force, though their apprehension was tangible as Birmingham struggled to find any fluency to their play. Bruce’s tactics hardly helped, as they forced Heskey to forage up front on his own.

Indeed it is a measure of Birmingham’s impotence early on that they managed only one shot on goal in a turgid first-half. Predictably it came from the boot of Dunn, who saw his 30-yard free-kick comfortably saved by Crossley.

At the opposite end Nico Vaesen was hardly any busier, with Fulham seemingly happy to accept parity. The visitors’ only meaningful effort in the opening 45 minutes came when Brian McBride headed over after Tomasz Radzinski broke free on the left.

With time slipping by Bruce sought fresh impetus early in the second half, introducing Jermaine Pennant for Stan Lazaridis. The former Arsenal winger quickly made an impact, hammering a low drive from the edge of the area that Crossley stooped to save.

That opening precipitated Birmingham’s best period as Heskey and Stephen Clemence saw headers repelled by Crossley. Dunn was even more unfortunate when the Fulham keeper tipped his curling shot around the post.

However, that save was forgotten when Butt headed home to spark Bruce’s victory celebrations.

Man of the match: Stephen Clemence - committed display.