Birmingham 1-0 Bolton

Birmingham secured their first home league win of the season thanks to Olivier Kapo's close-range effort.

The excellent Sebastian Larsson clipped in a pin-point cross for the unmarked Kapo, who stretched to poke home.

The hosts were rarely troubled by a lacklustre Bolton side whose best chance was a Daniel Braaten run and shot that was blocked by Stephen Kelly.

Larsson hit the bar from a free-kick and despite a late siege on their goal, the Blues held out for a deserved win.

The result leaves under-pressure Bolton boss Sammy Lee still chasing his first away win of the season and languishing in the bottom three. Birmingham, though, recorded a much-needed win and their first clean sheet of the campaign.

Birmingham manager Steve Bruce made three changes from the side beaten at Middlesbrough a fortnight ago with Franck Queudrue, Gary McSheffrey and Mehdi Nafti recalled in place of Radhi Jaidi, Stuart Parnaby and Mikael Forssell.

And the changes invigorated the hosts who adopted a more lively tempo and seldom looked like conceding.

Jussi Jaaskelainen was forced to turn a glancing header from Fabrice Muamba around the post from a Larsson free-kick, while the ever-threatening Swede saw a shot from the right-hand edge of the box well blocked by Abdoulaye Meite.

Skipper Kevin Nolan scuffed a shot wide from 15 yards out and looped a header over the bar from similar range as Bolton toiled.

And the visitors' best chance of the half fell to Jlloyd Samuel who jinked past three weak challenges in the Blues box before smashing his shot straight at Maik Taylor.

Bolton's defensive deficiencies were exposed when Larsson clipped in a delightful cross for Kapo, who poked home his second goal of the season at the back post.

Wanderers improved marginally after the break but lacked the creative spark to unlock the tireless Birmingham back line.

Johan Djourou and Liam Ridgewell stifled the Premier League's leading goalscorer Nicolas Anelka and although El Hadji Diouf was industrious, he rarely threatened where it mattered.

Substitute Braaten opened up the Birmingham defence midway through the second half and but for Kelly's heroic last-ditch tackle, the Norwegian midfielder would have levelled.

Larsson was denied a deserved place on the scoresheet when his sublime free-kick smashed the underside of the bar. And Djourou's header from a corner was cleared off the line by Gavin McCann as Birmingham looked to kill Bolton off.

The second didn't come, but the Blues' hardworking defence repelled a late surge to secure their first league win in front of the St Andrew's crowd.

By Nathan Mercer

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Bolton suffer Helguson injury woe

Bolton Wanderers have revealed that striker Heidar Helguson will be out of action for nearly two months.

The 30-year-old Icelandic international has had an operation on an ankle problem and will miss the next seven weeks of the Premier League season.

Helguson joined Bolton from Fulham in the summer and scored once - against Fulham - in his three games so far.

Right-back Nicky Hunt is also set for a spell out after spraining his ankle during the recent game against Everton.

Ricardo Gardner is back in full training after injury and Joey O'Brien played 90 minutes for the club's reserves on Monday.

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