Birmingham may now have gone nine games without a win under Gianfranco Zola but goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak felt his team were unlucky to have not picked up a positive result at Carrow Road.

Lukas Jutkiewicz headed against the bar just 30 seconds before Cameron Jerome opened the scoring for the hosts in the 15th minute and Craig Gardner also missed a fine chance to head home from close range, before Timm Klose headed City 2-0 up from a Robbie Brady free-kick.

Former Manchester United keeper Kuszczak was kept busy by the lively Canaries though, including a superb, sprawling dive to stop Jerome making it 3-0 in the 87th minute, before Gardner struck the bar with a late shot.

'We were so unlucky, we had two big chances in the first half and they would have changed the game,' the 34-year-old Pole said. 'Obviously we didn't score, they scored two and that's it, this is the Championship.

'It's on us. Set-pieces time and time again we don't mark properly. We're working hard on this aspect every day on the training ground but it is not working for us – but we have to keep going.

'Our game wasn't bad, we created chances, we just can't take them at the moment.'

Match report – Norwich City 2 Birmingham City 0

The Blues host high-flying Reading at St Andrew's on Tuesday night and Kuszczak insists he and his team-mates are determined to earn their first win of Zola's reign, having lost four of his seven league matches.

'Football-wise we look okay, we pass, we create and it is just the small things which cost us,' Kuszczak told his club's website. 'Like I've said in previous games where we lost or drew, there are aspects in all games where we really should have got more but we've been punished.

'Again, a set-piece goal, unmarked. I go out and try to help and when you do that the ball can (come to) you and I can help.

'But we had the chances, it wasn't a one box game, we create, we've been positive and we have to take it quick to Tuesday for another game for us.

'We need a win, we want a win, for the manager, because we are working hard, he is really positive and supportive. All the staff want to do well and we owe him three points, I hope the next game we can give that.'

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