Birmingham City sealed a place in the play-offs after a dominant display against Grimsby Town at St Andrews.

Birmingham should really have recorded a comfortable success as they dominated the match for long spells but lacked a cutting edge in attack.

Grimsby had lost 16 times on their travels this season before arriving at St Andrews and withstood a battering to emerge with a share of the spoils.

Birmingham should have had the game wrapped up well before half-time as they dominated proceedings without being able to turn that possession into goals.

The pace of Andrew Johnson was a constant menace to the Grimsby defence and he sent over a well-placed 16th-minute cross that his strike partner Paul Furlong volleyed narrowly over the bar.

Furlong then saw his 27th-minute shot deflected inches the wrong side of the post before Johnson headed wide following a centre from right-back Gary Rowett two minutes later.

Grimsby had to work overtime to keep Birmingham in check but ironically could have taken a shock lead against the run of play in the 35th minute in their only attack of the first half.

Grimsby's former Birmingham winger David Smith found himself in acres of space on the left flank and raced towards the byline.

His cross flew over the Birmingham defence and found its way to midfielder Stacey Coldicott.

But Coldicott could not keep his shot on target and the ball flew aimlessly over the bar.

It only proved to be a brief respite for Grimsby as Johnson then saw another effort deflected wide on the stroke of half-time.

The second half followed the same lines as the first with Birmingham dominant, but also wary of being caught out on the counter attack.

Substitute Jerry Gill should really have put Birmingham ahead 60 seconds after the re-start when he blazed over the bar.

Birmingham were fortunate that Grimsby did not pose more of a cutting edge in attack as the Town skipper Paul Groves saw his 55th-minute shot blocked as Grimsby showed the potential to pull off a shock.

But Birmingham were able to keep them in check as they continued to press for the breakthrough, only to suffer more frustration when Furlong and Johnson once again squandered clear-cut chances.

City boss Trevor Francis sent on strikers Marcleo and Dele Adebola to try and spark more life into his attack, but the duo toiled as the their team-mates had done before them, leaving Birmingham to ease to a draw.

Teams:

Birmingham: Myhre, Rowett, Hyde (Gill 26), Holdsworth, O'Connor, Hughes, Purse, M. Johnson, Lazaridis (Marcelo 76), Furlong (Adebola 64), A. Johnson.

Subs Not Used: Ndlovu, Charlton.

Grimsby: Coyne, McDermott, Groves, Lever, Gallimore, Donovan, Coldicott, Clare (Black 52), D. Smith, Ashcroft, Livingstone.

Subs Not Used: Allen, Buckley, Chapman, Croudson.

Booked: Livingstone.

Att: 25,263

Ref: D Crick (Worcester Park).