Match Report: Boro 1 Birmingham City 0

Boro climbed out of the relegation zone after beating Birmingham City at the Riverside in the first game of the post-Chris Wilder era.

The team were under the interim management of Leo Percovich, Craig Liddle, Mark Tinkler, and Lee Cattermole following the departure of Wilder and his staff just days earlier.

Chuba Akpom marked his Riverside return with the all-important goal as Boro picked up a vital three points to move out of the bottom three in the Championship.

With Wilder departing just two days previous, the interim coaching team had just two sessions to work with the players, and changes were made from the line-up which lost to Coventry on Saturday.

Ryan Giles returned, there was a recall for Paddy McNair, Akpom made his first start since injury, and Hayden Hackney was also promoted to the starting line-up for his first league start after some excellent performances for the Under-21s.

Boro started brightly in a buoyant Riverside atmosphere, but it was the visitors who went close inside the opening quarter when Juninho Bacuna curled a free-kick just wide after McNair had brought down Tahith Chong on the edge of the box.

But it was Boro who took the lead when Akpom rifled home a corner after Rodrigo Muniz flicked the ball on.

Hackney almost followed that with a second when he did well in midfield, worked himself an opening, and sent a shot just wide of the upright.

Matt Crooks also warmed the hands of Birmingham goalkeeper John Ruddy after a McNair cross was half-cleared.

Boro were enjoying plenty of pressure, but Zack Steffen was called into evasive action to save from Scott Hogan after the Birmingham striker seized on an errant back-pass.

Boro went close at the start of the second period when a McNair cross was cleared as far as Jonny Howson, and Hackney tried his luck with an effort which went just over the top.

Steffen was called upon to turn an Emmanuel Longelo free-kick over the top and Dael Fry reacted well to clear the resultant corner back over his own bar.

Changes were made in the second period, with Riley McGree replacing Hackney, Darragh Lenihan making his comeback from injury and Marcus Forss replaced goalscorer Akpom.

Muniz almost sealed the game when he headed against the underside of the bar, and when Forss followed up rifling the ball home, an offside flag was raised.

Tommy Smith and Duncan Watmore completed the substitutions as the game entered the final moments and Boro looked to preserve the advantage.