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Sunday, 1 September, 2002, 11:16 GMT 12:16 UK
Johnson hails Blues belief
Birmingham goalscorer Damien Johnson celebrates his winner at St Andrews
Damien Johnson celebrates his stunning winner against Leeds
Birmingham matchwinner Damien Johnson believes the Blues' impressive win over Leeds indicates they are aiming for more than mere survival this season.

The 2-1 win saw Birmingham clinch their first Premiership win haing taken just one point from their opening three games.

But Johnson, who hit a stunning winner at St Andrews, insists Blues "have not seen seen anything to frighten the life out of us so far".


That performance told us we've got a place in this league
Damien Johnson

He added: "Everyone will take great confidence from winning against a side like that, who will be up near the top of the table.

"We certainly deserved the victory and the lads were ecstatic in the dressing room afterwards.

"It was a crucial win because if you're playing well, which we have been, and then don't get points there is the possibility that heads can drop.

"Now we are off and running and that performance told us we've got a place in this league."

Leeds boss Terry Venables admitted his side had much work to do following the defeat, their second in four days.

Leeds manager Terry Venables bites his nails as he watches Leeds lose at St Andrews
Leeds boss Venables looks on anxiously
Venables said: "We are playing in fits and starts and we've still got to be better from an all-round point of view.

"It is no good having a period of good passing and a period of good competitive play. It's not got to be one or the other.

"We've got to put them both together at the same time.

"It's not to do with anything radical. It's about working harder at what we need to do.

"Birmingham were more competitive than us. They really got stuck into us and we were still trying to play our football.

"We've got to do the same as them when teams do that to us until the game evens out a bit and then ability and football comes into play."

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 ON THIS STORY
BBC Five Live's Simon Brotherton
"Birmingham worked hard for the win"
Birmingham boss Steve Bruce
"We thoroughly deserved it"
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