Birmingham City slipped to a first defeat in three games on Saturday afternoon.
In the absence of Tony Mowbray as he undergoes medical treatment, Mark Venus took charge as Blues travelled to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town.
Jordan James’ goal on the stroke of half time had ensured the visitors went in level at the break, after Conor Chaplin’s opener.
However, late goals from Jeremy Sarmiento and Omari Hutchinson secured all three points for the hosts.
Even so, in Koji Miyoshi, Birmingham City did still have one player who was particularly impressive in that match.
Koji Miyoshi ‘showed the fight fans love’ at Ipswich Town
Once again, Miyoshi made a signifcaint contribution for Blues on Saturday afternoon.
It was from the Japan international’s run into the area and pinpoint pull-back that James had been able to equalise for Blues.
That means that Miyoshi has now five goals and provided five assists in 36 appearances in all competitions for Birmingham City this season.
Writing about his performance against Ipswich Town, the Birmingham Mail said: “Miyoshi started sluggishly and gave the ball away a few times before clicking into gear with a brilliant assist shortly before half-time.
“He was a delight to watch from thereon and also showed the fight fans love to see. Not happy with a challenge Luongo made on Paik, Miyoshi shoved the Ipswich midfielder and got a booking for it.”
As a result, Miyoshi was awarded a rating of 7/10 for that game.
Interestingly, according to SofaScore, Miyoshi had a pass success rate of just 59% for Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon.
The 26-year-old was also involved in six duels at Portman Road, winning two of them. Beyond that, Miyoshi also completed five defensive actions in the game.
Only three Birmingham City players – all defenders – were involved in more during that match. That does seem to highlight the commitment shown by Miyoshi, which will make him popular at St Andrew’s.
Koji Miyoshi a useful Birmingham City signing
While things did not go as Blues would have wanted on Saturday, Miyoshi still gave them some cause for optimism here.
The winger did brilliantly to create that goal for James, and he has shown that this team will not throw in the towel in games.
It is also worth noting that this is still Miyoshi’s first season in English football. Indeed, prior to his move to Birmingham City, he has previously only played for one European club, Royal Antwerp.
As a result, the fact he is producing these sort of contributions during the current campaign, is particularly impressive in the circumstances.
With that in mind, it would not be a surprise if Miyoshi is a key figure for Birmingham City in their battle to avoid relegation between now and the end of the season.