Birmingham manager Aitor Karanka has insisted he is not worried about relegation despite his team falling to within three points of the Championship’s bottom three as a result of their 0-0 draw at Wycombe

The Blues have now won just one of their last 10 games and, thanks to Nottingham Forest’s win against Coventry, are now fourth from bottom in the table.

Sheffield Wednesday’s win at Bournemouth also drew them closer to danger, following a night where Birmingham were left frustrated by Ryan Allsop’s heroics in goal for the hosts.

Karanka said: “When I came here, I knew it was going to be a tough season. It’s impossible to think about being in a higher position when the team was going in the way it was going last year.

“We brought in players without spending money, and in the market we bought players without spending the money that other teams had.

“We’re not complaining, it’s just to show the reality for everybody.

“We knew it was going to be difficult and it’s been difficult, so we’ll just keep going.

“It’s a shame because we played a good game, we had a lot of chances and from our chances their keeper was super and we didn’t score.

“It’s difficult to accept, once again, when we’re playing like we did today and we are not winning games, but it is time to keep a strong mentality, to keep going because once again we have shown we are creating chances.”

Wycombe came closest to scoring in the first half when Birmingham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge did superbly to keep out Uche Ikpeazu’s deflected effort.

Allsop then shone after the break, with exceptional saves from Mikel San Jose and Maxime Colin, before Birmingham’s Marc Roberts was sent off late on for a cynical lunge on Fred Onyedinma.

Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth said: “It wouldn’t have looked out of place in League Two – no disrespect to League Two, but there was very limited moments of quality out there.

“I think what was Premier League was probably the two goalkeepers – I think both made what were match-saving saves.

“Ryan Allsop has made a couple and Neil Etheridge had one in the first half that was deflected and he was going the wrong way to start with, that was an unbelievable save.

“I think if anyone comes out with credit, it’s the goalkeepers and that’s usually the story of a 0-0.

“I’m pleased after Saturday [when Wycombe lost 7-2 at Brentford] because we progressed a great deal and that was important.

“Either team nicking it would have been unjust – they probably had the share of the chances over us, but I’m pleased that we’ve battled well against a very strong Birmingham side.”