There was disappointment for Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon, as they were beaten 1-0 by local rivals West Brom at The Hawthorns.
Andreas Weimann’s late strike was enough to secure all three points for the hosts, meaning Blues are now 19th in the Championship table and four points clear of the relegation zone.
It was also a significant game for several players, who made first outings in Birmingham colours after joining in the January transfer window.
Andre Dozzell was handed his first start following his loan move from QPR, and played the full 90 minutes.
Alex Pritchard was also given his debut after joining from Sunderland, with Paik Seung-Ho also coming off the bench for his debut for Tony Mowbray‘s side.
However, it was Dozzell who arguably seemed to stand out the most, particularly in the eyes of BBC West Midlands Birmingham City reporter Richard Wilford.
Andre Dozzell impressed on full Birmingham City debut
Speaking on the Keep Right On podcast, Wilford was asked for his thoughts about the performance of Dozzell, on his first start for Blues.
The reporter was clearly impressed with that he saw from the on-loan QPR man, saying:
“He was the best performer of the three debutants overall, with the caveat that the most exciting was Paik, because we saw his energy, we saw his athleticism, we saw his quality.
“But Dozzell is exactly what Tony Mowbray said he was going to be. Somebody who can play in that holding role, is keen to get the ball forward quickly, uses it very effectively, he’ll pass it to a more skilful player.
“His delivery of set pieces was a bonus because there was a lot of talk before the game about Pritchard being brought in for set-pieces but it was Dozzell’s corner that was flicked onto the post by Kevin Long so you can see the quality of the delivery there.”
Next up for Birmingham is a trip to Hillsborough to face the Championship’s bottom side Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night, in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
Dozzell could play key role in run-in
You certainly get the feeling that this could prove to be a very useful signing for Blues between now and the end of the season.
It was certainly an encouraging debut for the midfielder, who managed to make things throughout the course of the game.
The fact he was already picking the right passes to teammates indicates that he has formed a strong connection early on, settling in well at St Andrew’s.
That is something that they may be able to build on in the coming weeks to make him even more effective, while his set-piece delivery is a useful extra asset.
Meanwhile, his signing from QPR means Birmingham have also taken him from a relegation rival, which could yet have a say in the battle to stay in the Championship.
This therefore, looks as though it could turn out to be a smart piece of business for Blues to have completed, once the campaign has concluded.