Birmingham boss John Eustace saluted his players’ “character” after a hard-fought point against battling Millwall.
Eustace paid tribute to his team’s fightback after they slipped behind to a sixth-minute strike by Scotland star Kevin Nisbet.
Jay Stansfield struck minutes into the second-half to earn them a crucial point after Scott Hogan had earlier missed a penalty in an all-action encounter.
“We started the first-half very well and they scored against the run of play,” said Eustace.
“That’s the first time we have been behind this season. We finished the first-half very well.
“We were disappointed not to go in 1-1 at half-time (after Hogan missed his spot-kick).
“At half-time the lads drove the meeting. We played well in the second-half and scored a great goal. It shows great character.
“We have a proper belief in each other. The way we defended set-pieces was outstanding. Millwall are a very good Championship side.”
Saluting Stansfield after he’d smashed his second league goal on the spin, Eustace added: “He is top drawer, it was an excellent finish.
“He’s a great player, a young player. He wants to develop and to learn.
“He’s a fantastic finisher and he works his socks off, he had to come off with cramp.”
Millwall manager Gary Rowett said his side was in charge during the first 45 minutes, with Birmingham ending on top.
He said: “I hate using boring cliches but it was a game of two halves.
“In the first-half we had a lot of control. We penned them back in with our wing-backs.
“We got the early goal and it was a nice start. We had some good moments and we had some territorial advantage.”
The visitors thought they had doubled their lead after 20 minutes when Ryan Leonard fired in a George Saville corner.
But the stunning strike was disallowed after Leonard’s volley was judged to have hit Jake Cooper who was offside.
Rowett said: “I think Coops was just offside, it glanced off his head.
“It would have been a hell of a goal as well. That was disappointing for us. That just seemed to give them a tiny bit of a lift.
“We sat off them a bit in the second-half. We conceded a very poor goal from the final third. It was a beautiful strike.
“They penned us back a little bit and they were the better team in the final stages of the action.
“But I’m not displeased with our performance and the result.”
Campbell gives Sheffield United victory in Steel City derby, Rodriguez strikes late for Burnley
Sheffield United joined leaders Sunderland at the top of the Championship table after a hard-fought 1-0 win against local rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
After a goalless first half, Tyrese Campbell latched onto a pass from Callum O'Hare and slotted past Wednesday goalkeeper James Beadle for the winner five minutes into the second period.
This was the Blades' sixth consecutive clean sheet at Bramall Lane and their fourth straight win home or away, and sees them go level with Sunderland on 31 points from 15 matches.
Meanwhile, Burnley are four points behind the top two after they snatched a last-gasp 1-0 victory against visitors Swansea City.
Jay Rodriguez's stoppage-time penalty secured the points for the Clarets at Turf Moor, ending their four-match winless run and climbing to fourth in the table.
Leeds close gap on Championship leaders Sunderland
Leeds United closed the gap on Championship leaders Sunderland after Regis Le Bris' side collapsed at home to Coventry City on Saturday.
Daniel Farke's side moved to within two points of Sunderland after coasting to a 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road.
Jayden Bogle sliced home after 19 minutes for Leeds, who made sure of victory in stoppage time as Joel Piroe came off the bench to score.
There was no such success for Sunderland despite Wilson Isidor and Dennis Cirkin both finding the net in the first half at the Stadium of Light.
Haji Wright pulled one back for Coventry, who dismissed long-term boss Mark Robins this week, just past the hour before Jack Rudoni snatched a 2-2 comeback draw with six minutes remaining.
At the other end of the table, Portsmouth managed just their second victory of the season with a 3-1 triumph over Preston North End at Fratton Park.
Josh Murphy and Connor Ogilvie were both on target in the first half before Colby Bishop's late penalty sealed victory after Emil Riis Jakobsen had reduced the deficit for Paul Heckingbottom's visitors.
Victory moved Portsmouth up to 23rd in the league, two points ahead of bottom side QPR and within three points of safety.
Fellow strugglers Plymouth Argyle also gained a point as Adam Randell's 41st-minute strike cancelled out Jerry Yates' early opener for Derby County at Pride Park.
The 1-1 draw leaves Wayne Rooney's side 16th in the table, but just one point clear of the relegation zone, while Derby sit comfortably 12th.
Norwich City dropped down the table in Saturday's other game, suffering their first home defeat in the league in 22 games after a 2-0 reverse against Bristol City at Carrow Road.
Anis Mehmeti and Nakhi Wells scored in either half for Liam Manning's visitors, who moved into 10th with a victory that left them just two points shy of the play-off positions.
Middlesbrough hit five against Luton to pile pressure on Edwards
Middlesbrough moved into the Championship play-off spots, brushing aside struggling Luton Town 5-1 to add to the pressure on Rob Edwards.
Delano Burgzorg netted his first two Championship goals for Boro, opening the scoring with a well-worked corner in the 30th minute before Emmanuel Latte Lath skilfully added a second before the break.
Finn Azaz set up the second and added a third just six minutes into the second half, before Burgzorg's second put the game beyond the visitors in the 54th minute.
Jordan Clark's strike was nothing more than a consolation as Luton's misery was further compounded by Azaz's stunning curling finish with three minutes left.
If results go Middlesbrough's way, they could keep their place in the top six going into the international break, but Luton are 20th after registering their eighth loss since returning to the second tier.
Elsewhere, Cardiff City missed their chance to move clear of the relegation zone after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers, who ended a three-match losing streak on the road.
Andreas Wiemann scored early on in both halves, tapping in both from close range to give Blackburn the advantage.
David Turnbull gave Cardiff hope, turning in the rebound of his own saved penalty, but Lewis Baker's late effort wrapped up the result in the 86th minute, moving John Eustace’s side up to ninth.
Ben Gibson salvaged a point for Stoke City against Millwall, ending the visitors’ four-match winning run.
Josh Coburn had given Millwall the lead from very close range shortly before the break, netting with their first shot on target, but Stoke fought back thanks to Gibson's flicked header from a corner.
The Potters are up to 11th for now, while Millwall leapfrog West Brom into seventh.
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