Birmingham accrued just three points after the resumption, extending a winless run to 14 league matches, and finished 20th, avoiding relegation on the final day thanks to favourable results elsewhere and a 12-point deduction because of Wigan Athletic's entering administration.

[33][34] In goal, making his Football League debut, was the 19-year-old Zach Jeacock, selected in place of the injured Andrés Prieto and ahead of the newly arrived Neil Etheridge.

[35][36] Although the visitors hit the woodwork twice and might well have been awarded a penalty when Pedersen appeared to pull down Pontus Jansson, Birmingham's organisation and apparent team spirit were much improved from the 2019–20 version, and the only goal came after 37 minutes when Sánchez whipped in a corner and Bela, unmarked in the six-yard box, glanced a header past the goalkeeper at his near post.

At home to Wycombe Wanderers, who had gained their first ever point at Championship level the previous week,[45] Marc Roberts scored his first goal for 2+1⁄2 years while several team-mates failed to take their chances.

"[47] The 3–1 loss to a superior AFC Bournemouth team brought an improvement in attitude[48] and a first goal of the season for Hogan, who said he was feeling fitter and sharper, noting that he'd "always been able to [score] quite consistently in the past when [he'd] played regularly.

[52] December opened with a well-worked goal from Hogan at home to Barnsley, but what BBC Sport dubbed a "contentious penalty", when Pedersen was judged to have tripped Callum Brittain, and a late deflected shot extended Birmingham's winless run to six games.

[55] In front of 2,000 socially distanced fans at the Madejski Stadium, Jon Toral demonstrated what the Birmingham Mail called "an inexplicable difference to the form he had showed so far this season" to score twice in the first half.

[57] Colin gave Birmingham an early lead at home to Middlesbrough before the mistakes set in: two half-time substitutions and three more after an hour made little impact and the match ended as a 4–1 loss.

[62] A 2–0 loss to Blackburn Rovers – their eighth home defeat of the season, the most in the top four divisions[63] – was followed by George Friend's man-of-the-match performance on his return to Middlesbrough, where a well-worked goal by Hogan gave Birmingham their first win in seven.

"[67] Birmingham had the better of the first half away to AFC Bournemouth: Hogan opened the scoring with the aid of a goalkeeping error, and after Sánchez had a shot cleared off the line, Pedersen's angled volley was disallowed for offside.

[70] The positive intent shown by selecting two strikers at Millwall was blunted two minutes into the game when Mikel San José underhit a backpass and Jed Wallace beat Etheridge to the ball and scored; the match ended 2–0.

[71] Fellow relegation candidates Sheffield Wednesday had a man sent off just after half-time, and Hogan scored some 15 minutes later; it remained the only goal of the game thanks to Etheridge's "stunning" late save.

[72] Birmingham produced what Karanka claimed to be "the best 45 minutes we have played this season" to hold table-topping Norwich City to 1–1, thanks in part to Etheridge's penalty save, but luck went against them in the second half, when a deflection made it easy for Teemu Pukki to score his second, and they conceded again on the break deep into stoppage time.

[75] A change of formation, introducing Jutkiewicz, a striker whose game relied on crosses into the box, while omitting the wingers who might supply them, failed to produce a shot on target against Barnsley,[76] preceded a capitulation to Bristol City.

The board "highlight[ed] his man-management skills and motivational qualities", while Bowyer said he was "absolutely delighted and it's great to be back", and stressed his priority was to lift the whole club.

[77][86] Although Birmingham lost 3–0 away to second-placed Watford, the manager's appreciation of the need for formation changes and the team's ability to implement them illustrated the increased focus on shape work under Bowyer.

[83] The same applied to the next match, at home to Swansea City, in which the half-time replacement of the enthusiastic but yellow-carded Steve Seddon by Friend strengthened the defence and Hogan's last-minute penalty, after Jutkiewicz had missed an earlier one, won the game.

[83] With Stoke City's defence expecting yet another long throw, Roberts threw short, Colin passed it back to him, and his "first-time curling cross was headed home powerfully by Jutkiewicz" for his 50th league goal for Birmingham.

[88] Away to another relegation candidate, Nottingham Forest, Birmingham led through Roberts' fourth goal of the season until six minutes into stoppage time, when the referee awarded a penalty for what he saw as a foul by Jutkiewicz.

They conceded after 18 minutes when debutant goalkeeper Andrés Prieto misjudged a set-piece, and came closest to an equaliser shortly afterwards when Jérémie Bela hit the crossbar with a shot from distance.

[118][119] The team remained winless since February, and Karanka said that he and his staff needed to change what he perceived as a "losing mentality" after the previous season had ended with such a poor run of results.