I still can't do anything about individual errors

“We had the worst possible start, but after that we showed what it takes. Defensively we didn't start right and I thought we were sloppy. The defenders who have had lots of pats on the back recently weren't out there for the first fifteen minutes and it gave Burnley a lifeline.

“After that I thought we were very comfortable, and we were rarely troubled by Burnley apart from the one chance that Stephen Clemence cleared off the line in the last couple of minutes.

“Up front I thought Bendtner and McSheffrey were sensational and they gave us that little bit of extra quality which won the match for us.”

Steve Bruce also claimed that he was upset by some of the content in the match programme. “What really riled me was that someone wrote in the programme that there's a hint that Birmingham have a soft underbelly. If ever I needed a team talk it was done for me today. You take a look at players like Clemence, Muamba, Nafti and the two full backs and if they've got a soft underbelly then I must be watching a different side.”

Steve Bruce thought Birmingham should have won, as he always does, but Steve Cotterill was a lot nearer the mark in believing that the Clarets deserved at least a point. “It was a game where we shouldn't have been beaten and the least I felt we deserved was a draw,” he said.

He explained that both goals came from individual mistakes, goals that cost us. “Both the goals, for me, were disappointments. They were on the break and individual errors that sometimes you can't account for, but no matter how hard I have tried in eleven years of management, I still can't do anything about individual errors. You just have to back them to get on with it and that is what we will do.”

It's been three tough fixtures for the Clarets in succession, something that Steve pointed out. “Unfortunately we have ended up with Cardiff and West Brom away and then we've had Birmingham at home,” he said. “That's tough for Burnley, although I think we were good enough to get at least a draw against one of the top teams in this division.

“They have some quality players, make no bones about that. Bendtner is probably the best centre forward in the division and he was first class today. He's got great feet, heading ability, courage and vision and he doesn't mind a challenge for such a young lad. I haven't seen anyone better than him this season as yet.

“Then there's Muamba and Larsson. No wonder those three are at Arsenal. It's handy when you can add them to the mob they have got.”