Jiri Jarosik grabbed a crucial winner for Birmingham as Steve Bruce's men moved out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 victory over Bolton.

A very poor opening half-hour yielded hardly an effort on goal, with Kevin Davies going closest for the visitors when he headed over the bar.

However, the game was lit up with a moment of brilliance from Jarosik in the 37th minute when the midfielder fired a spectacular left-footed drive beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen's despairing dive.

Maik Taylor thwarted Kevin Nolan on the stroke of half-time as Wanderers looked for an immediate reply.

Mikael Forssell was denied a certain second for the home side just after the break when Nicky Hunt made a last ditch challenge to stop the Finn, while Stelios slid an effort just wide at the other end as Bolton looked for an equalizer.

Forssell fired a volley inches wide late on as Blues held on to secure a vital win in their bid to beat the drop.