AS the Brummie battle anthem "Keep Right On To The End Of The Road" echoed round St Andrews on a foul and filthy Black Country night, it sounded more like a threat than a promise to the Blackburn visitors.

For, with a third of the season still remaining, you don't need an AA route map to realise that Rovers are fast coming to the end of their own particular promotion road.

And it looks like it's a road to nowhere.

It has been a bumpy ride, and will not get any smoother, unless there is a dramatic change in results.

Tony Parkes put a brave face on it but he was also realistic. Trevor Francis suggested there was still room for Rovers to hope - especially with so many games still to be played.

But do Rovers look a team heading for the play-offs? Frankly no, because even when they tighten up at the back as they did last night, they haven't got the firepower - for all the money invested.

To be fair, their performance against a Birmingham side, who are expected to make the play-offs, was one of their better displays in recent weeks.

And it deserved some reward.

But that means taking your chances, especially when they are so few and far between.

Birmingham did, Rovers didn't and, while Francis wondered about all the expensive striking talent left out of Parkes' team, he hasn't seen them play recently.

It was no real surprise when Rovers made several changes, stuck five men in midfield with the likes of David Dunn, Jason McAteer and two genuine wide players to support lone striker Ashley Ward and attempted to contain and play on the break.

Their general performance worked but two things went wrong.

Birmingham cashed in on a moment's hesitancy by Garry Flitcroft - the latest to wear the captain's armband as he took a major step back to full match fitness - and Martin O'Connor produced a splendid finish.

In contrast, Rovers could not produce the same ruthlessness when they had two or three opportunities.

That is how games are won and lost and all the outstanding work of the central defenders brought no reward In fact, one of the reasons there were so few real chances was because of the form of the centre halves on both sides, especially Marlon Broomes, who justified his call-up and did himself credit against the team he supported as a boy.

It wasn't the greatest entertainment but, if Rovers had been able to pinch a win, as they sometimes promised, that would have been forgotten.

There was a distinct lack of goalmouth action in a tame first half but that would have suited Rovers who, in terms of the slight attacking threat posed by both sides, probably shaded it.

Damien Duff, in fact, could well have given them an early lead when McAteer and Keith Gillespie worked a good move on the right.

McAteer's cross found Duff free in the penalty area but his right-foot shot was way off target.

Ward also had a header easily saved but Birmingham went ahead from their first genuine opening after a few muddled minutes for Rovers when they were struggling to get the ball away.

It was Flitcroft who proved to be the fall guy, though it wasn't an unforced error - credit to O'Connor for stealing the ball on the edge of the penalty area, rather than Flitcroft giving it away.

Either way, the latest skipper wanted a fraction too long to dwell on the ball, O'Connor steamed in, won possession and hit a superb right-foot shot high past the diving Alan Kelly's left hand.

As Birmingham boss Trevor Francis said later: "It was our only real attempt in the first half but he showed a lot of determination to win that first ball, looked up and measured his 'pass' into the back of the net. It was an outstanding goal."

Rovers looked capable of snatching an equaliser just before half time when Simon Grayson put McAteer through but the excellent Birmingham keeper Ian Bennett came to his side's rescue.

The second half was just as quiet in the sense of goalmouth incidents but it began with a rare flurry from the home side.

Martin Grainger put a low free kick into the side netting and Bryan Hughes shot wide after a McAteer mistake.

But any remaining threats - few though they were - came from Rovers.

The turning point came on the hour mark.

A well-constructed attack produced two headers. The first from Ward was brilliantly saved, one-handed, by Bennett and, when the ball was knocked back in, David Dunn could only put a free header wide.

The young midfielder knew he should have done better.

There was a late spell of pressure but, even though an excellent referee added on five minutes of stoppage time, Rovers couldn't find an equaliser.

McAteer's outstanding reverse ball looked like it had released Matt Jansen with a free run to goal six minutes from the end of normal time.

But the substitute failed to control it and the chance had gone.

So too might have any lingering hope of claiming a play-offs spot.

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