Tomoki Iwata ensured Hull City’s Championship play-off push continued to stutter with a brilliant late equaliser for Birmingham City at the MKM Stadium.
Hull looked on course to keep seventh-placed Wrexham at arm’s length after Joe Gelhardt’s first-half strike for the Tigers, his 15th of the season.
But Iwata’s 20-yard stunner on 77 minutes ensured Hull’s push for a top-six finish continued to falter, with it now just one win in their past six league outings.
An entertaining game could have gone either way with chances for both sides, for all that it was Hull charging in the closing stages. But it finished a goal apiece to keep nerves jangling in East Yorkshire.
The draw meant Wrexham, who closed the gap on Hull in the final play-off spot to just two points with three games to go.
Birmingham moved one place up the table to 14th.
Hull have hit a flat patch just at the wrong point of the season, with this draw making it just two wins in nine games. Yet on the balance of play here they would be justified in counting themselves unlucky not to have arrested that slump.
Gelhardt is on his second loan spell with the Tigers having spent half a season at the club last season but has really found his shooting boots in this campaign, including a run of eight goals in 10 matches between mid-October and early December.
It was his deflected strike from the left side of the area on 24 minutes which put the Tigers in front, an advantage they could and perhaps should have doubled before the half-time break.
Birmingham came out firing at the start of the second period with August Priske heading wide from close range and Jhon Solis and Demarai Gray both seeing efforts saved by Tigers goalkeeper Ivor Pandur.
A break down the left flank led to the Birmingham equaliser, with defender John Egan’s headed clearance after a cross had been hopefully swung in falling to Iwata just outside the area.
The Japan international midfielder, who had scored just twice previously this season, produced a sublime finish, taking one touch to tee it up then hitting a scorching half-volley from 21 yards into the top right corner.
A late charge from Hull pinned Birmingham back through the closing stages and nine minutes of stoppage time, but while Semi Ajayi and Oli McBurnie both went close, having good chances to secure all three points, the visitors held out.
‘Not our best performance’ – Hull reaction
Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic speaking to BBC Radio Humberside:
“That was not our best performance and from the beginning we didn’t have a good balance. We had a lot of problems with second balls all over the pitch and maybe after 20 minutes we started to get better.
“We took the lead through Gelhardt and they didn’t have anything, and second half we tried to increase our success but we didn’t find the right tempo.
“There is always expectation because you want to win the game, especially in this moment of the season. Every game is now important and we will see at the end where we will finish.”
‘Don’t let the season tail off’ – Birmingham reaction
Birmingham City manager Chris Davies speaking to BBC Radio WM:
“We have seen Tomoki [Iwata] do some fantastic finishes but that and Demarai Gray away at Southampton are the two individual goals which stand out for me.
“Overall the players are really encouraged right now. There are not too many games this season when we have gone a goal down and come back and got something from the game. That is a really good sign.
“From where we were they are now looking like a team who can get a result in almost any game. We have two home games which we really have to attack. The key is not to let this season tail off.”
