There were angry scenes at the end of a game that kept Birmingham on course
for promotion and put Bristol on the brink of relegation.
Home fans, incensed by the second-half penalty award that altered the course
of the game yelled "cheats" at Trevor Francis and his team as they left the
field.
A club steward got involved in a melee with the Birmingham players and had to
be restrained by colleagues before being led away.
The fury surrounded a 48th minute spot kick, given when home skipper Shaun
Taylor tangled with Peter Ndlovu.
City supporters felt the striker took a dive, but referee Mike Dean disagreed
and Martin Grainger comfortably equalised with a low penalty.
That cancelled out Ade Akinbiyi's 22nd goal of the season, scored just two
minutes earlier to reward Bristol for their dominance up to that point.
Louis Carey won an important header to send Akinbiyi clear and he rounded
goalkeeper Kevin Poole before squeezing the ball in from a tight angle.
The deciding goal was a nightmare moment for Bristol's loan signing David
Howells.
The Southampton player under-hit his 70th minute backpass and saw the
speedy Ndlovu nip in to take the ball wide of goalkeeper Bo Anderson before
shooting into an empty net.
Howells put his head in his hands, knowing his mistake could well condemn
Bristol to the Second Division next season.
Having dominated the first half, the home side just could not raise their game
again and a late shot from substitute Greg Goodridge, which flashed inches wide,
summed up their day.
Akinbiyi alone could have had a hat-trick in the first 45 minutes.
He had a
goal disallowed for pushing and was twice denied by brilliant saves from Poole.
Bristol also had a strong penalty appeal rejected when Aaron Brown's shot
appeared to strike the arm of a defender, while Taylor saw a point-blank effort
deflected over the bar following a corner.
As tempers flared in the second period, Carey and Grainger were fortunate to
escape with yellow cards after a dust-up that saw both players grabbing each
other round the throat.
Teams:
Bristol City: Anderson, Brennan, Sebok, Locke, Taylor,
Carey (Shail 88), Howells, Brown (Cramb 79), Akinbiyi, Torpey,
Doherty (Goodridge 71).
Booked: Carey.
Goals: Akinbiyi 46.
Birmingham: Poole, Rowett, Grainger, Hyde, Holdsworth, Johnson,
Bass, Robinson (McCarthy 55), Bradbury (Furlong 83), Hughes,
Ndlovu.
Subs Not Used: Forinton.
Booked: Grainger.
Goals: Grainger 48 pen, Ndlovu 70.
Att: 15,845
Ref: M Dean (Eastham).
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