Birmingham 1 Stoke 0

A Nikola Zigic's header two minutes into stoppage time gave Birmingham the win over Stoke at St Andrew's.

The giant Serbian nodded home from Cameron Jerome's deflected cross after goalkeeper Asmir Begovic had fumbled David Bentley's last gasp shot inside the box.

It was a result that had looked unlikely for most of the afternoon as both sides cancelled each other out for much of a dour, uninspiring game, but the result marked back-to-back Premier League wins for Blues for the first time this season.

Manager Alex McLeish made two changes from the side that beat West Ham last weekend, with Sebastian Larsson replacing Lee Bowyer in an attack-mind four man midfield alongside Bentley, Barry Ferguson and top scorer Craig Gardner.

But the most notable change was up front, where new signing Obafemi Martins made his Blues debut alongside Zigic after completing his loan move from Russian side Rubin Kazan.

The Nigerian international was signed on transfer deadline day but had to return to his home country to get a Visa.

Martins predictably enjoyed a warm welcome from Blues fans before the game while, just as predictably, Stoke's on-loan Villa striker John Carew was booed on his return to St Andrew's.

Zigic registered the first shot of the game within three minutes, heading Larsson's early cross over the bar.

At the other end, Roger Johnson made an important early clearance after some slack marking allowed former Blues winger Jermaine Pennant's space to cross inside Blues' box.

Bentley then inadvertently handed the Potters a great chance to open the scoring, after slipping and bringing down Pennant just outside the box.

Fortunately for the Tottenham loanee, Pennant could only guide the free-kick straight into goalkeeper Ben Foster's hands.

Carew then wastefully headed wide from Danny Pugh's well-placed cross, when it would probably have been better to nod the ball back across goal.

The ball was spending a lot of time in the air in the final third at both ends and Liam Ridgewell was next to miss a good headed chance, nodding straight at Begovic from close range.

But the former Villa defender made amends with a vital block on Carew, as the Norwegian was preparing to pull the trigger inside Blues' box.

Pennant came within an inch of opening the scoring midway through the half, after Larsson brought him down with a late tackle on the edge of the area.

Foster was beaten by the midfielder's curling shot but, to his relief, it drifted just wide of his right hand post.

Carr put Ferguson under pressure late in the half with a mis-placed pass that Rory Delap raced onto before firing over the bar.

Bentley's stray pass let Kenwyne Jones in for a shot a few minutes later, which the Trinidad and Tobago international thumped straight at Foster.

Bentley fired wide and Carew dragged a poor shot straight at Foster in the final minutes of the first-half.

Blues had a little more urgency early in the second-half, as Larsson dragged a decent shot just wide from Ferguson's superb long pass.

The Swede then fired just wide from a well-worked short corner routine with Bentley, in a decent five minute spell for the home team.

There was controversy at both ends as Johnson appeared to handle the ball in the area from Delap's long throw, before Huth fired the rebound just wide.

At the other end, Huth appeared to handle in the box, albeit to defend his face from a close range volley by Bentley.

Both appeals were waved away by referee Mark Halsey and both managers then made changes late on in a bid to break the stalemate.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis replaced Pennant with Glenn Whelan and Jones with Ricardo Fuller, while McLeish swapped an off-form Martins for Cameron Jerome.

And it was the later change that proved crucial as the former Cardiff striker pounced a loose ball in stoppage time to cross for Zigic to tap in an unlikely winner.