Rowett has reasons to be cheerful

Rowett is very optimistic over what can be achieved, saying after Saturday's home success: "Who knows we can happen if we are able to add three or four quality players during the summer?

"It was very important to come out in the last home game and put in a performance befitting the progress we have made. We always looked the most likely to win.

"Some of our attacking play was very good and in the end it was fitting that Lloyd scored the only goal with a great finish. It shows what a fantastic player he is and the fine career he has had."

Rowett's success since his arrival in November has already attracted attention but he said: "I am not stupid to say I deserve to manage higher because I have been given a fantastic opportunity by Birmingham City.

"I was manager in League Two last season and now I am at great club and I see a good future. I feel we need to be more competitive at the top of the end of the table.

"There is always going to be speculation about certain things. The fact I live in Derby is always an easy one to link me to - but I would like to go out in the morning to buy a loaf of bread without too much hassle."

In a game which contained numerous goalscoring opportunities it was not until the 82nd minute that Dyer broke the stalemate with a raking drive, his first goal since signing from Watford.

Previously both teams had been thwarted by some fine saves by Charlton's Stephen Henderson and his fellow Irishman, Darren Randolph.

The match was a fair reflection why Birmingham and Charlton are two of the most improved teams in the Championship.

Birmingham's latest win lifted them into 11th place - a tremendous achievement after they had appeared to be relegation candidates early in the season.

The visitors, beaten only once in their previous five away games, could count themselves slightly unfortunate not to have collected a point.

They never sat back and always looked a threat, with Tony Watt proving a big danger with his persistent play despite after-match criticism of the team by his manager.

Guy Luzon said: "It was really a poor performance. The way we played was not very good. We played without patience and over 90 minutes we deserved to lose.

"I think it was our worst performance since I joined the club. The object was to play positively and I didn't like this kind of performance.

"It's our last game next week and we need to improve and play better."

Luzon, however, paid credit to Stephen Henderson, adding: "We didn't lose because of our goalkeeper.

"We lost the game because our performance as a team was very poor. We really only had a chance to score on the counter-attack."