Birmingham City 1 Queens Park Rangers 0

BIRMINGHAM City went top of the Coca-Cola Championship after a 1-0 victory at home to QPR in the lunchtime kick-off. Kevin Phillips' solitary strike on the stroke of half-time was enough to lift Alex McLeish's side above previous leaders Wolves, who subsequently slipped to a surprise 3-1 defeat at Swansea.

McLeish admitted his faith has been restored in his promotion-chasing side. With only seven goals in their last seven games the Blues again made hard work of their latest success. They were indebted to another opportunist goal from veteran striker Phillips, who notched his fourth goal of the season since his arrival from nearby West Brom.

Phillips, a major player in Albion's successful promotion campaign, was on the mark just 21 seconds before the end of the first half. It was a killer blow for the visitors, who were unable to mount a serious challenge in the second half of the St Andrews clash.

A relieved McLeish admitted: "The game was much better than the last two home games against Doncaster and Blackpool. I was uneasy in those two games but I felt secure in this match. It wasn't a fantastic performance but it was a sleeves rolled up type of game."