Three players who between them cost Birmingham a combined £100,000 fired their
side towards a fourth successive trip to the end-of-season First Division
play-offs.
Stern John, Darren Carter and Tommy Mooney struck the goals in front of the
club's best attendance of the season of 28,615 to take Steve Bruce's team to
fourth place in Division One and on course for another tilt at promotion to the
top flight.
But following defeats in the previous three play-offs, all at the semi-final
stage, to Watford, Barnsley and Preston, Birmingham fans are still waiting for a
trip to the final.
John, a £100,000 capture from Nottingham Forest, scored his seventh goal since
moving to St Andrews and Carter, a product of the youth system, got his first
goal for the club he supported as a boy.
Mooney did not cost a fee either after signing from Watford in the summer and
his header was his 15th goal of the season as Birmingham made it eight games
unbeaten.
Crewe also needed the points to fight off the threat of relegation in a
fixture that had been abandoned in February when a half-time downpour left the
pitch unplayable, the game being goalless at the time.
A consolation came for the visitors when Rodney Jack scored, but there were
only five minutes left.
John worked the first opening on the right and flicked the ball over but
Mooney's header was tipped over by Crewe goalkeeper Ademola Bankole.
Blues goalkeeper Nico Vaesen had to come off his line to block Dean Ashton's
shot from a narrow angle.
Martin Grainger's corner was then headed down by Mooney, but Geoff Horsfield's
volley from a narrow angle flashed across the face of goal as the home side
started to boss the game.
Crewe nearly took an unexpected lead when Ashton's header from a corner had to
be headed off the line by Grainger.
Ashton next shot wide across goal after a mistake by Olivier Tebily presented
him with the ball.
But John struck the opener on the half-hour for Blues as he shot from 15 yards
after Bankole had got down low to push Paul Devlin's cross into his path.
The Birmingham striker scored with a well-struck shot through a crowded
goalmouth.
Bryan Hughes was unlucky when he ran at the Crewe defence and drifted a shot
just wide of Bankole's left-hand post five minutes later.
John also hit a shot wide of the same post as Birmingham looked to press their
advantage.
But Vaesen did well to block Rob Hulse as Crewe tried to find a way back into
the game.
Carter pounced in the last minute of the half with a shot into the corner,
Horsfield appearing to have been tripped in the build-up by Shaun Smith.
David Vaughan nearly got Crewe back into the game three minutes into the
second half but his shot hit the post and Birmingham then managed to scramble
clear.
A minute later Hughes crossed with his left foot as he cut inside from the
right and Mooney looped a header over Bankole for Birmingham's third goal.
Vaesen was then again called on to come out and deny Ashton, who had raced
clear of Tebily.
The former Huddersfield stopper also had to be aware to turn over Kenny Lunt's
free-kick from 25 yards as Crewe showed no signs of giving up the fight.
Mooney was well placed to head his second from a Hughes cross but David Wright
just nipped in to head out for a corner.
Vaesen again came to save his team, diving at the feet of Paul Tait as he ran
through as there looked little chance of Crewe pulling a goal back.
Horsfield worked his own opening but Bankole got down low to his right to push
the shot away and Efe Sodje blocked Mooney's follow-up.
But Crewe snatched a goal with five minutes left as Tebily missed his header
and substitute Jack shot past Vaesen from 10 yards.
But it was too little too late for the visitors as the home side improved
their position in the play-off picture.
Teams
Birmingham: Vaesen, Kenna, Purse, Tebily, Grainger, Devlin,
Bryan Hughes, Carter, Horsfield, Mooney (Lazaridis 80),
John (Damien Johnson 70).
Subs Not Used: Bennett, Woodhouse, Vickers.
Goals: John 30, Carter 45, Mooney 49.
Crewe: Bankole, Wright, Walton, Sodje, Smith, Lunt,
Whalley (Rix 45), Sorvel, Vaughan, Ashton (Jack 79),
Hulse (Tait 52).
Subs Not Used: Ince, Foster.
Goals: Jack 85.
Att: 28,615
Ref: A Butler (Sutton-in-Ashfield).
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