Bolton Wanderers v Birmingham City
For large spells of the season these two seemed likely to be battling it out to avoid relegation, however a great end of the season for Bolton has seen them finish in mid-table. Birmingham, meanwhile, go into the game knowing even a win may not be enough to save them.
After a winter of discontent Dougie Freedman turned things around at the Reebok with a run of just 2 defeats in 15 games, picking up 29 points in that time. The acquisition of Lukas Jutkiewicz from Middlesbrough provided the Trotters with some much needed power upfront and loanee Liam Trotter started to gain confidence from a run in the side. However, the stand out player for Bolton has been keeper Adam Bogdan who has played superbly in-between the sticks. So much so he was nominated for the Championship April Player of the Month award.
Birmingham have continued their slide down the Championship table since Christmas. Just 14 points from their last 21 games including losing all of their last 5 games saw them drop into the bottom 3 for the first time all season last weekend. Furthermore, the Blues failed to seize the opportunity of a midweek game in hand at home to Wigan losing 1-0 at home. They have not tasted victory at St Andrews since the 1st October and they will have to wait till next season to end that run. Focus is purely on survival and the Blues have a glimmer of hope with Doncaster travelling to Leicester it is likely that a point may be enough for Birmingham. Paul Robinson is set to return to the side and the captain’s experience and leadership has been needed recently. He is this game’s key man.
Score prediction: 0-0 draw
