A second half strike from Miguel Fernandez was enough to condemn Crewe to a narrow defeat against Birmingham City.

An indirect free-kick lead to the game's only goal, with Fernandez firing in from Jack Concannon's lay-off.

Crewe did hit the woodwork through Josh Lundstram, and had a late goal ruled out for offisde, with Alex Morris' side unable to find a way back into the game.

The game's first half was a quiet one, with the away side threatening first. Concannon had a shot on goal, but it was never going to trouble Dave Richards in the Crewe net.

Aaron Lomas was the first Crewe player with a sight of goal. The youngster turned his defender well, with his effort straight at Moha Ramos - the Birmingham goalkeeper on loan from Real Madrid.

Before the break, another save from Richards kept the game level. Fernandez's shot was on target, but a strong hand from the Crewe goalkeeper tipped the ball onto the post.

Crewe did create more chances in the second half, with Connor Heath getting on the end of a Regan Griffiths free-kick and just missing the target.

The woodwork was struck again, but this time Crewe were the unlucky ones, as Lundstram's header hit the upright.

And a defensive error lead to the game's only goal. A back pass saw Richards handle inside the area resulted in an indirect free-kick to the visitors. They made no mistake, as the ball was teed to Fernandez who found a gap in the goal and fired in.

In the game's dying embers, Crewe thought they had found a late equaliser. With every Crewe player in the box, including goalkeeper Richards, the ball was flicked into the back of the net, only for the linesman's flag to rule it out.

Crewe: Richards, Djalo, Goodrich, Offord, Johnson, Lundstram, Lomas (Southern), Griffiths, Heath, Robbins (Hartshorn), Onyeka (Lokko). 

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