Albion’s early-season concerns deepened with a 1-0 defeat at Birmingham today.

Wes Thomas headed the only goal of an undistinguished contest on 52 minutes when he met David Cotterill’s tempting cross with an emphatic close-range finish.

Blues just about deserved this first home league win since last October.

They showed some jitters after going ahead but had just one worrying moment, when Darren Randolph tipped Jake Forster-Caskey’s free-kick over the bar.

New Albion signing Joao Teixeira made his debut as a second-half substitute and curled a free-kick narrowly over.