Fresh – thanks to ten days rest – from a morale-boosting victory at home to relegation rivals Hull City, the challenge for Sunderland was obvious – to do it again.
When the full-time whistle blew against the Tigers, manager Chris Coleman must have been hoping for a few debutants by the time the team bus pulled up at St Andrew’s, but it is not just on the pitch that Sunderland struggle to do the business.
Sunderland’s defeat was one of those sobering shockers they tend to throw in every now and then – every four games on average, after this was added to Sheffield United and Cardiff City.
The 1,033 travelling fans were let down badly once more but what lessons if any could Coleman take from the 3-1 defeat?
Sunderland just cannot follow it up
Back in December, Sunderland got a much-needed home win with a goal scored by an 18-year-old but given the chance to follow it up, they fluffed their lines against Birmingham City.
A month on, things had changed – but only for the worse. At least the Wearsiders took a point off their relegation rivals in December, this time they were hammered out of sight, graciously allowing their hosts to move above them in the table.
The Black Cats have not experienced back-to-back league victories since the false dawn of November 2016, when Victor Anichebe crammed almost all the highlights of his time at the club into a few cruelly deceptively enjoyable games.
Lots of things have got better since Chris Coleman took charge of this team but consistency is one they have singularly failed to crack.
Kone limps on
Lamine Kone (Image: Sunderland AFC)
It was a surprise to see Lamine Kone kicking off the game but with John O’Shea ill, Chris Coleman probably had little choice.
Likewise, it was a surprise to see him reappear for the second-half but again...
Initially, at least, the Ivorian tried to play it safe, generally wellying the ball in the direction of a Sunderland centre-forward. As the game went on he tried to be more cute and you wished he did not.
Twice his attempts to chest the ball down in dangerous positions – once trying to play it to a team-mate, once to himself – resulted in Birmingham attacks.
And although he came and won a good header against Sam Gallagher, he was caught on his heels when the ball did get through to the striker and was fortunate Bryan Oviedo was more alert to cut out the cross bound for Jacques Maghoma.
He was limping soon after David Davis gave his side the lead, apparently tweaking a muscle on what was a very cold night. When the second goal was being scored, he was lying in a heap near the halfway line.
He soldiered on, but his lack of mobility was a real problem. It allowed Gallagher through on goal in the 51st minute and when Davis crossed the ball four minutes later Kone and his fellow defenders were absent without leave as the striker made it 3-0.
Men against boys football
David Davis of Birmingham City scores the first goal (Image: Getty Images Europe)
For Jake Clarke-Salter in particular, a game against the Birmingham giants was a reminder of what he signed up for when he agreed to swap academy football for playing with the grown-ups.
It was Clarke-Salter who was at fault for the first goal, caught underneath a ball played over his head. His failure to get the ball clear allowed Davis to negotiate his way in behind the back four to put his side in front. Minutes later, Clarke-Salter failed to get above another header but this time there was no damage done to the scoresheet.
It was symptomatic of the way an imposing home side bullied their younger, less robust opponents.
He was booked two minutes into the second half for a tackle on Sam Gallagher by the touchline as he threatened to capitalise on Kone’s unwise chesting of the ball but he did not have to walk the tightrope long, hooked after 65 minutes.
Squad looking skeletal
When Clarke-Salter came off, Coleman changed formation. Well, he pretty much had to.
The nearest thing he had to a central defender on the bench was Brendan Galloway, the day before his Sunderland loan was expected to be put out of its misery so he could join Milton Keynes Dons at the end of the season.
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A new goalkeeper needed... and plenty more besides
If Robbin Ruiter was planning to show Coleman why he did not need to sign Andy Lonergan – or any other goalkeeper for that matter – he had the opposite effect at St Andrew’s.
The Dutchman tried his best to do a good Manuel Neuer impression, sprinting off his line to snuff out the danger as Birmingham threatened to score from a Sunderland goalkeeper, and even showing a bit of nifty – and brave – footwork to send Sam Gallagher the wrong way with a penalty-area step-over.
When it came to keeping the ball out of the net, he struggled a bit more.
David Davis of Birmingham City celebrates after scoring the first goal (Image: Getty Images Europe)
Looping up as it did off a defender, Jonathan Grounds’ early shot had been a soft introduction to the game but although he was off his line quickly enough when the Black Cats were sliced open down their right-hand side midway through the first half, the suspicion was that he should have done better with Davis’ shot.
The second was a bullet of a header by Maghoma but from the third all Ruiter managed to do was push Davis from a shooting position into a crossing one, and seeing as those in front of him seemed to have temporarily given up marking, that was pretty dangerous.
Not that the arrival of Andy Lonergan will be enough to suddenly transform this side. A tough relegation battle awaits. Again.