Birmingham's match with Crewe at St Andrews was abandoned in the second half
due to a waterlogged pitch.
Referee Alan Butler took the players off for 15 minutes to see if conditions
improved, but was forced to abandon the game with 58 minutes played with
standing water on the pitch.
The game was deadlocked at 0-0 with the home side looking to end a run of five
games without a win.
Steve Bruce's side need to get back on the winning trail if they are to
maintain their push for a play-off place, but they rarely threatened against the
in-form Railwaymen.
Tommy Mooney, restored to the City starting line-up after the 1-0 defeat at
West Brom in midweek, failed to hit the target with a left-foot shot from the
edge of the penalty area in the opening minute as the hosts began brightly.
The former Watford striker was in the thick of the action once again after six
minutes when his brilliant shot from 25 yards was well saved by visiting
goalkeeper Ademole Bankole.
Crewe - who have won their last four games in all competitions - launched
their first attack after eight minutes, but Rodney Jack's shot whistled over the
crossbar.
Geoff Horsfield, also back in the Birmingham attack after missing out against
the Baggies, went close twice in quick succession with one shot going over the
crossbar and the other being saved by Bankole.
Jack was proving the biggest threat for the visitors, who have an FA Cup clash
at Everton to look forward to later this month, and his shot from the edge of
the area after 22 minutes went wide.
Birmingham were struggling to create chances against an increasingly assured
Crewe side, who had midfielder Kenny Lunt booked just after the half hour for a
foul on Martin Grainger.
Jack had another shot blocked by Darren Purse just before the break as the
stalemate continued and Marcelo replaced the injured Stan Lazaridis on the
stroke of half-time for the hosts.
Teams:
Birmingham: Bennett, Eaden, Purse, Michael Johnson, Grainger,
Kenna, Hughes, Carter, Lazaridis (Marcelo 45), Mooney,
Horsfield.
Subs Not Used: Vaesen, O'Connor, Andrew Johnson, Furlong.
Crewe: Bankole, Wright, Sodje, Foster, Smith, Lunt, Brammer,
Sorvel, Vaughan (Rix 45), Jack, Ashton.
Subs Not Used: Ince, Walton, Collins, Hulse.
Booked: Lunt.
Abandoned - 58 mins waterlogged pitch
Att: 21,626
Ref: A Butler (Sutton-in-Ashfield).
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