Birmingham City boss Eustace picks out ‘good player’ for praise despite Bristol City loss

Birmingham City slumped to another defeat this weekend away at Bristol City. The Blues lost 4-2 at Ashton Gate and have slipped down to 18th in the Championship table.

Despite the defeat to the Robins, one positive for the Midlands outfit was Reda Khadra’s debut goal. The winger, who has joined on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion, scored a consolation in front of the travelling fans and showed a glimpse of what he will offer ahead of the second-half of the season.

Speaking afterwards, Eustace hailed his new recruit and told the club website:

“That’s why he is here. Jordan (Graham]) plays a great ball through and Reda goes one-on-one and it gave us a bit of lifeline. We have a good player in Reda and we are pleased that he is here.”

The boss wasn’t happy with the result and also said:

“We have to put it right very quickly. We will bounce back from a very difficult period, and the only way we do it that is by sticking together. We aren’t victims, we are fighters and it is important that we get through this difficult period together.

“We needed to be better with the ball, but our decision making was poor. That really summed up our game today, just not good enough. It is a good wake up call for us as a group, we have an opportunity to put it right on Tuesday.”

Next up for Birmingham is their FA Cup replay against Forest Green Rovers away on Tuesday. They then return to league action on Saturday at home to Preston North End, who were thumped 4-0 by Norwich City last time out.

Khadra, 21, will be pushing for a start for the Blues over the next couple of games. He spent the first-half of this campaign with Sheffield United and scored once in 16 games for the Blades. The Berlin-born man also had a stint at Blackburn Rovers last term and fired five goals in 28 outings during his temporary stint in Lancashire.