Birmingham City missed a number of chances as they played out a 0-0 draw against Swansea City, leaving them winless after three Championship matches.
The Blues had plenty of opportunities to open the scoring in the first half, the best of which saw Lukas Jutkiewicz slot the ball wide from a one-on-one position.
Swansea dug deep in a far quieter second 45 and came away from the West Midlands with a share of the spoils, placing them joint-top of the second-tier standings.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Championship clash between Birmingham City and Swansea City at St Andrew's. The Swans are looking for their third successive win under Graham Potter, having already seen off Sheffield United and Preston North End in the first two weeks of the campaign, while Garry Monk is seeking a first win of the campaign in all competitions at the fourth attempt.
BIRMINGHAM CITY TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Camp; Colin, Morrison, Dean, Pedersen; Maghoma, G.Gardner, Kieftenbeld, Jota; Jutkiewicz, Bogle
SUBS: Trueman, Roberts, Harding, Lakin, Mahoney, Adams, Solomon-Otabor
The big news as far as Birmingham are concerned is that Lee Camp comes in for a first league outing, having joined from Cardiff City last week and featured in the midweek EFL Cup loss at the hands of Reading. That is a surprising call, particularly as the 33-year-old has not had the best time of things over the past 15 months or so. Steven-Andreas Benda is named among the subs for City.
Craig Gardner was dismissed against Middlesbrough last week and is replaced in the side by brother Gary, who was brought in on loan from West Midlands rivals Aston Villa on deadline day. Omar Bogle is also brought into the side up top, with the Cardiff loanee looking to push on following a disappointing stint in South Wales, while Maikel Kieftenbeld is restored in midfield in the fourth of Monk's changes.
SWANSEA CITY TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Mulder; Roberts, Van der Hoorn, Rodon, Olsson; Fulton, Carroll; Asoro, Celina, McKay; McBurnie
SUBS: Benda, Naughton, Grimes, Fer, Dhanda, Montero, James
Switching focus to the visitors, Potter has made just one change on the back of last week's 1-0 win over Preston by bringing in goalkeeper Erwin Mulder for Kristoffer Nordfeldt. The latter hobbled off in that PNE victory to be replaced by Mulder, and the 29-year-old makes his first start for the Welsh outfit more than a year after joining from Eredivisie side Heerenveen.
Swansea are also without Wilfried Bony and Declan John, the latter of whom is nursing a back injury. Youngster Joe Rodon keeps his place in the heart of defence alongside skipper Mike van der Hoorn, while last week's matchwinner Jay Fulton is also included from the off once again. Talented youngsters Daniel James and Steven Benda have been given a show of faith by Potter, as they are included in the squad.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! This is the first league meeting between the sides since December 2008 when playing out a goalless draw here. Birmingham City's last win over Swansea City came in an EFL Cup third-round tie in September 2013, in what proved to be Garry Monk's final match as a Swans player.
Monk spent a decade at Swansea as a player before taking over as manager in 2014. The club legend lasted a year-and-a-half in the job before being given his marching order with the Swans 15th in the Premier League table. Monk has since had spells at Leeds United and Middlesbrough, but this is the first time that he has come up against his former side in a managerial capacity.
Monk has lost just two of his previous 11 home matches since being appointed Birmingham boss in March, with seven of those ending in victory. His only home defeat came against another of his former sides in Middlesbrough towards the end of last season, but he ultimately achieved his main target of keeping Brum in the second tier. Far more is expected this time, although they have made a slow start to proceedings.
Birmingham drew 2-2 with Norwich City on the opening day of the season and then fell to a 1-0 loss at Middlesbrough last weekend, leaving them in the lower reaches of the division. There was also a defeat to fellow Championship side Reading in midweek, seeing their EFL Cup campaign end at the first hurdle. It may still be the opening month of the season, but already Monk is under a little pressure.
Monk's former side are not faring too badly, though, having won their first two matches since dropping down from the Premier League. A late Yan Dhanda goal gave them all three points at Sheffield United 13 days ago, before overcoming Preston North End through a Jay Fulton goal last time out. Swansea last won three successive matches in their final three games of the 2016-17 season.
Following this trip to the Midlands, Swansea return to the Liberty Stadium for three successive home matches. Games against fast starters Leeds United and then Bristol City will be followed up by an EFL second-round tie against Crystal Palace. Graham Potter has certainly hit the ground running in South Wales; now he will be hoping to take his side to the top of the table.
With kickoff at St Andrew's now less than five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Garry Monk: "Swansea will always be my most difficult job because I felt such a huge responsibility to the club. I felt very drained at times because I knew the fans, players and owners and I felt the weight of every decision. It was a lot of pressure but you're in the frying pan and I loved it."
Graham Potter: "We're getting closer [to loan signings]; we're working as hard as we can. But it's about the right person and profile because we need the ones who can help the group we have. "You have to weigh everything up, what experience means and what's the relevance of that, how it fits what we want to do."
Monk has happy memories from his time at Swansea, playing a key part in the club's rise through the divisions and then being given his first taste of management at the Liberty Stadium. A lot has changed in the three years since he was sacked, with the Swans recently dropping out of the Premier League following a prolonged stay, although in Birmingham's case they have been languishing in the second tier for eight seasons now.
KICKOFF: Birmingham City get us up and running at St Andrew's in the opening game of matchday three in the Championship. The Blues are seeking a first win of the season; Swansea City are hoping to make it three successive wins under new boss Graham Potter.
Birmingham peg their opponents back early on and win themselves a corner, which is cleared away. Bright start for the hosts, who were seconds away from victory here against Norwich in their opening game of the season.
CHANCE! The first opportunity of the evening falls the way of Omar Bogle, who could only steer Harlee Dean's cross wide of the target from a good position. A minute or so later, Jota blasted a 20-yard volley high over the opposition crossbar.
Birmingham the side on top in the early stages of the contest, then, creating a couple of openings in the space of a couple of minutes. Potter will not be too concerned just yet, but his side are being pegged back a little too easily at the moment.
Ollie McBurnie, desperate to make a mark after being given a run in the side, is clattered into by two opposition players and fails to get back to his feet. The physio comes on and the striker eventually hobbles towards the touchline - he should be OK.
Kieftenbeld pounces on a loose ball, but he overhits it before being given the chance to get a shot away from 25 yards. Swansea guilty of overplaying there - they have not got going at all so far.
McBurnie is now back on the field. Swansea win a free kick in a dangerous area of the field, but it is headed clear by a Birmingham player when swung into the box. Up the other end, a poor touch prevents Jota from running in behind.
SAVE! A loose ball falls kindly for Omar Bogle, but he fails to make clean contact with it and Erwin Mulder had a routine stop to make. Joe Rodon did well to get a slight touch to the ball, taking out any of the sting before it reached Mulder.
SHOT! Wrong decision from Jacques Maghoma, who decided to shoot from the tightest of angles rather than look for a teammate. The ball ended behind the goal and in the stands. Bogle's long-range shot was a lot better, only missing the target by a matter of inches.
CLOSE! Birmingham are completely dominating this game. Jacques Maghoma is again involved, getting a shot away which took a touch off Joe Rodon and bobbled narrowly wide of the far post. The hosts need to make these chances count.
Potter will not be happy with what he is seeing. Jacques Maghoma links up with Jutkiewicz and gets yet another shot away, with the deflection unkind as it took the ball away from goal. The Swans seriously holding on at the moment.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Birmingham finally have the ball in the back of the net, but it is ruled out by the officials. Jutkiewicz's header is kept out by Mulder, only for the ball to loop into the air and then under the crossbar. Michael Morrison got the final touch and was initially offside, though, and he also made illegal contact with Mulder.
SAVE! Maghoma slips the ball through for Jutkiewicz and the striker really should have been burying it. Instead, Erwin Mulder was given a chance to make a pretty simple save down the middle for a corner. It really is one-way traffic in the West Midlands.
The opening half an hour has been all about Birmingham - or, more specifically, their inability to put the ball in the back of the net. Bogle and Maghoma are bossing things in the final third, without punishing their opponents.
Swansea far too keen to pass it out at the back. Mulder goes short and sends the ball straight out of play, giving Birmingham a chance to maintain this spell of dominance. The biggest concern for Monk will be that it is still 0-0.
Maghoma is full of confidence, as is new boy Bogle, with Swansea's defenders seriously earning their money this evening. Another corner is won, which Jutkiewicz loops back into the danger zone, but it is once again dealt with.
SAVE! Jota's best moment of the match so far, as he cuts in from the right and fires a shot back on himself. Erwin Mulder read it well and got down to not only keep out the shot but also keep hold of the ball. Swansea are being dominated at St Andrew's.
SAVE! Jota's best moment of the match so far, as he cuts in from the right and fires a shot back on himself. Erwin Mulder read it well and got down to not only keep out the shot but also keep hold of the ball. Swansea are being dominated at St Andrew's.
SAVE! Mulder to the rescue yet again - this is incredible! Jota's free kick is met by Harlee Dean, but his header is parried to safety. Jutkiewicz then wasted the best chance to date, sliding the ball wide of goal with only Mulder to beat.
I have no idea how Birmingham are not out of sight. Incredibly, they have failed to get off the mark despite creating six or seven big opportunities. It would be typical if Swansea went up the other end and snatched a goal...
Swansea's backline and goalkeeper being overworked in this lively first half, where as Ollie McBurnie has barely had a touch of the ball. Graham Potter will surely change things around slightly at the midway point.
Thirteen goal attempts for a dominant Birmingham in the first half, five of which have been on target. Swansea, by comparison, have had just the single shot, which did not trouble Lee Camp in the home goal.
YELLOW CARD! Jota pulls back on the shirt of Bersant Celina and is shown the game's first yellow card. Swansea finally managing to give themselves a little breather over the past three or four minutes, with half time now fast approaching.
The match has become a little spicy over the past few minutes following a couple of challenges. Nothing too malicious, but the referee will just want to get the sides into the interval without any further flashpoints.
HALF TIME: BIRMINGHAM CITY 0-0 SWANSEA CITY
The sides somehow go into the break all square at the end of a first half completely dominated by Birmingham City. The Swans headed into this match full of confidence, but they have been second best throughout.
Swansea should have been full of confidence following wins over Sheffield United and Preston North End in their first two outings under Graham Potter, but Birmingham completely dominated the first-half chances. The first of Brum's 14 goal attempts in the opening 45 minutes - five of which were on target - was fired in by Omar Bogle, who could only steer Harlee Dean's cross wide of goal.
Bogle then forced Erwin Mulder into a routine stop on his first Swansea start, before slotting one wide, while Jota volleyed over the crossbar soon after. Birmingham were the Championship's joint-second lowest scorers heading into the match, and it was becoming clear to see why as Jacques Maghoma fired a shot wide and Lukas Jutkiewicz missed two glorious openings, the second from a one-on-one position.
Mulder then kept out Jota and Dean in quick succession, but only after a big scare when the hosts finally managed to get the ball over the line. Jutkiewicz's header was looped into the air by Mulder and dropped under the crossbar, only for the officials to rule the goal out as Michael Morrison made illegal contact with the Dutch keeper and was also standing in an offside position.
BENCH WATCH!
BIRMINGHAM CITY SUBS: Trueman, Roberts, Harding, Lakin, Mahoney, Adams, Solomon-Otabor
SWANSEA CITY SUBS: Benda, Naughton, Grimes, Fer, Dhanda, Montero, James
KICKOFF: Swansea City get us back under way at St Andrew's. No changes made by Graham Potter at the break, which I find a little surprising - the Swans were completely outplayed in the opening 45 minutes.
The attendance has been announced as 20,083, with 1,578 away fans. Not an awful lot for those in the away section to cheer about so far, as their side have yet to create a single chance and are awaiting their first meaningful shot of the game.
Jota swings his boot at the ball from 22 yards, sending his fierce volley into a diving Swansea player. The hosts have taken time to get going in the second half but it is they who are now back on top in the West Midlands.
A goalless draw from this fixture would not be a bad result for the Swans, who have already won two out of two. Birmingham, on the other hand, will consider this two points dropped, particularly having dominated the entire game.
Swansea striker Ollie McBurnie had just nine touches of the ball in the first half - only home keeper Lee Camp had fewer. Still Potter holds off from making a change, with nearly 10 minutes of the second half now played.
Swansea still struggling to get any sort of foothold in the match. Celina did half a glimpse of goal a minute ago, only to direct his shot from range over the opposition crossbar. Potter will no doubt turn to the bench when we reach the hour.
Maghoma and Bogle are still having plenty of joy high up the field, but it is a familiar story for Birmingham as they struggle to put the ball in the net. They are not creating as many openings as they did in the opening 45 minutes.
Birmingham were the joint-second lowest scorers in the Championship last season, and their struggles in front of goal look set to continue this term. Bogle has made a good first impression at St Andrew's, but has ultimately failed to net - so far!
SWANSEA CITY SUBS! Graham Potter finally makes a couple of changes, bringing on Dan James for Tom Carroll and Leroy Fer - not a bad back-up player at this level - for Barrie McKay. The Swans still seeking their first on-target attempt.
It's actually a league debut for James, who has impressed for the Under-23s side. The second half has been a lot quieter than the first, with Birmingham unable to create chances as freely as they did in the opening 45 minutes.
The possession count has been split right down the middle in this second period, which is a lot more competitive than the first. As mentioned, though, chances have been few and far between since the restart and we are edging closer to a stalemate.
Monk must be tempted to freshen things up for the final 20 minutes. The former Swansea boss will be disappointed if this ends in a draw, having seen his side squander five or six big chances in a dominant first half.
Swansea's best spell of the match so far, culminating in a corner kick. They wanted a penalty as the ball popped up and hit an opposition player on the hand, but the referee was in a good position to wave away the weak appeals.
This one is looking more and more likely to end in a stalemate with each passing minute. The biggest fear for Monk will be a late Swansea goal through what would be their first real attacking move all night.
Rodon with a good defensive header to clear a free kick behind before Bogle could get to it, but the referee and his linesman failed to spot it and gave a goal kick. Gary Gardner, on loan from Aston Villa, has just pulled up with an injury.
It has been a pretty disappointing second half at St Andrew's, in truth, although it does at least remain tense as we approach the closing stages. What Garry Monk would give for a goal in the final 14 minutes or so of the contest.
SWANSEA CITY SUB! Fulton lunges in and gives away a free kick following a bad touch from McBurnie. Matt Grimes is now on for Joel Asoro in Swansea's third and final change of the evening. Brum still yet to turn to their bench.
BIRMINGHAM CITY SUB! Here comes Birmingham City's first alteration, as Omar Bogle makes way for Che Adams. A good shift from the Cardiff City loanee, but he failed to net his chances when they arrived.
CHANCE! Che Adams, on the field for a minute or so, makes the most of some hesitancy from Erwin Mulder. The Dutchman came to get the ball and then raced back, but the substitute striker could only smash the ball over the bar from a slight angle.
SAVE! Brilliant play from Lukas Jutkiewicz, who controlled the ball on the edge of the box and then turned to create a shooting chance. The ball was struck too close to Erwin Mulder, though, and the Dutchman has another save to his name.
That is 17 attempts for Birmingham now, compared to two for Swansea. Positives for Monk to take from the match, but ultimately this will go down as a disappointing result. Still time for the hosts to change all that...
BIRMINGHAM CITY SUB! This is a sun that highlights just how depleted Monk is in terms of midfield options, as 18-year-old Charlie Lakin comes on for the injured Gary Gardner, who picked up a knock a little earlier.
Normal time is up at St Andrew's; three additional minutes are to be played. Birmingham deserve to claim all three points, but Swansea have ultimately remained dogged in this second period and are now on the brink of a positive point.
No real chances over the past five minutes or so, with the teams seemingly accepting that this one is finishing goalless. Birmingham should have been out of sight at the interval, but their failure to convert means that this will be two points dropped.
FULL TIME: BIRMINGHAM CITY 0-0 SWANSEA CITY
Swansea City see through the final couple of minutes of added time to claim a valuable point. The Swans remain unbeaten after three games and join Middlesbrough at the top of the Championship standings, while Birmingham City are in 17th after two draws and a defeat.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from St Andrew's. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and be sure to join us tomorrow afternoon for our extensive updates from the Premier League. See you then!
