LONDON: Birmingham beat managerless Hull 2-0 in a Championship game on Sunday that was delayed 20 minutes because one of the goals was too big.
Troy Deeney claimed his second goal of the season from the penalty spot 13 minutes into the first half before Juninho Bacuna doubled the visitors' advantage with a long-range shot early in the second period.
Deeney also missed a second-half spot-kick but Birmingham had already done enough to seal their first win at Hull since 2009, moving them into the top half of the table.
Defeat left the Tigers just above the drop zone and in need of something to spark their season back into life.
The kick-off time had to be pushed back after referee Leigh Doughty and his officials called workers in to cut the posts down to size before the goal-line technology was recalibrated.
Birmingham boss John Eustace praised his players for maintaining their focus despite the delayed kick-off.
“I thought it was a very professional performance against a tough team,“ he said. “They’ve got a really good record at home. Very pleased to get the three points.”-AFP