Ipswich came from behind and boosted their hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Birmingham at Portman Road.
The visitors stuck first through Carlos Vicente, before the Tractor Boys kept alive their dreams of an immediate return to the Premier League with goals just before the break from Ben Johnson and Kasey McAteer.
Ipswich, who have games in hand over their immediate rivals, survived second half pressure to secure the three Sky Bet Championship points.
Town got a early chance to take the lead when McAteer powered a shot just over the bar after being fed the ball by Marcelino Nunez with just a minute on the clock.
Referee Adam Herczeg turned down a penalty appeal after Jacob Greaves appeared to be grappled by Jonathan Panzo following a corner.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 32nd minute through Vicente, immediately after McAteer had a glorious chance to put Town into the lead.
The Ipswich winger had only Birmingham goalkeeper James Beadle to beat but fired straight at him and the ball went up the other end when Jay Stansfield fired in a cross and Vicente hit a low shot into the bottom corner.
But the Tractor Boys were back on level terms four minutes from the break through Johnson as he converted a cross from Furlong despite Beadle's attempt to stop the ball crossing the goal line.
And they went ahead four minutes later through McAteer for his first Ipswich goal. He fired under Beadle after great build-up play between Jack Clarke and George Hirst.
McAteer then fired just wide of Beadle's right hand post after the restart when Nunez hooked the ball over Jonathan Panzo.
However, the visitors were in control of the opening period of the second half and had the ball in the net in the 70th minute but it was ruled out. Ibrahim Osman crossed towards August Priske and his shot came off Town skipper Dara O'Shea and bounced into the net but the ball was apparently out of play before crossing the line.
O'Shea had a great opportunity to put Town further in front from a Jaden Philogene corner. The ball curled out to the centre-back and he took aim with an awkward right-footed shot that dipped just the wrong side of the post.
Birmingham could have levelled the score in the 85th minute when Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton pushed the ball onto the post following a shot from Osman and O'Shea denied Ethan Laird from the rebound as the hosts held on for the three points.
Ipswich's Kieran McKenna:
"A brilliant win, if I'm honest, in many ways. The first comeback win of the season is really important and I think it's been coming. I've said that over the last few weeks and months.
"Every time we've had a setback our reaction is getting better and better and I think today was the best one because the group took a big body blow in the first half.
"It was hard to get a rhythm, hard to get the ball in play in the first 20 minutes, it was difficult but we were by far the team who wanted go on and to win the game.
"We have a big, big chance to go 1-0 up, their keeper (James Beadle) makes a really good save and they go up the other end and score a really well-taken goal.
"That's a big blow for this group and the reaction they found from that moment to half-time in the goals that we scored was outstanding for me. That was the key phase of the game and we deserved to win."
Birmingham's Chris Davies:
"We were well in the game. The least we deserved from the game was a point and I've never been as frustrated in my time in football from a decision from an official.
"We've been robbed today of our point because of a decision from a linesman 60 yards away, who's guessed on the ball going out. Every player around the ball suggested that that ball was in play.
"Yet we had an official that decided to guess falsely, wrongly, that the ball was out of play and I asked him after the game 'why did you make that decision?' He said 'I can assure you that the ball was out of play, I wouldn't have made it (the decision) if not.' But he was wrong."
