game when Mikel San José underhit a backpass and Jed Wallace beat Etheridge to the ball and scored; the match ended 2–0. 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. 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. At Queens Park Rangers, Birmingham missed several chances and conceded against the run of play. After an hour, Karanka made a triple change: in the last ten minutes, Pedersen headed an equaliser from substitute Roberts' long throw, and it was another substitute, Alen Halilović, whose curling shot secured Birmingham's first home win since October. The next three games brought one point, via Marc Roberts' equaliser away to Huddersfield Town, but no change to the negativity surrounding the club. 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, preceded a capitulation to Bristol City. Karanka was asked if he would resign; he replied "No chance". The Daily Mirror Neil Moxley reported that, when captain Harlee Dean was asked whether the manager still had the backing of the players, the silence became awkward. The following day, 14 March, rumours began to emerge that Karanka had been sacked, not by the unpopular chief executive but by a senior director. On the 15th, Lee Bowyer, who had been a member of Birmingham's 2011 League Cup-winning side, resigned his post as manager of Charlton Athletic. The next day, 16 March, a brief statement on the club website confirmed that Karanka had "stepped down as head coach." Shortly afterwards, Bowyer was announced as his replacement. 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. The last ten matches Both Bowyer and Dean stressed the value of clear, simple instructions and