In football, so much is spoken and written about ability as if it is the only thing that matters. Ability is never enough. You need to add desire, work ethic, enthusiasm, attitude, application and character to become a player who makes a difference.

Never underestimate the power of desire over ability. There can be no argument – ability without desire is a waste of time. You want both but, if you can only have one, go for desire every time. You can have all the talent in the world, but if the desire is not there, it doesn’t matter.

We saw that in abundance at St Andrew’s on Saturday, especially when under pressure, Birmingham City hung tough and showed all those qualities to secure a valuable, much-needed win. They were a team, on and off the pitch, and proved you don’t have to pick the best players but the best team.

The supporters also played their part, making the atmosphere something the players could feed off. For me, Bielik and Sunjic stood out but there was an argument for a number of players to be the man of the match. The previous Wednesday, in the defeat to Cardiff, the contenders were two stewards and a ball boy!

READ: Notebook - Bielik to Birmingham City rescue, Anderson's warning and James blow

READ: Ivan Sunjic opens up on 'very tough season' and his own Birmingham City blueprint

Seriously, though, the difference between the two performances was like night and day. It proved football is not a one-man show; it is a team effort. If you don’t work as a team, you’re not going to win.

Blues have now set the performance bar and must not fall below that for the remaining three games, starting at bottom club Rotherham on Saturday. The bare minimum is they show the same workrate, desire, commitment and attitude that proved too much for Coventry to handle.

One great performance does not safety make, despite being out of the bottom three by one point. Just four points separate Blackburn, in 17th place, and Blues in 21st.

17th on 49pts: Blackburn – Sheff Weds (h), Coventry (h), Leicester (a)

18th on 48pts: Plymouth – Stoke (a), Millwall (a), Hull (h)

19th on 47pts: QPR – Preston (h), Leeds (h), Coventry (a)

20th on 47pts: Stoke – Plymouth (h), Southampton (a), Bristol City (h)

21st on 45pts: Blues – Rotherham (a), Huddersfield (a), Norwich (h)

22nd on 44pts: Huddersfield – Swansea (h), Blues (h), Ipswich (a)

23rd on 44pts: Sheff Weds – Blackburn (a), West Brom (h), Sunderland (a)

As Sir Alex Ferguson once said, “it’s squeaky bum time,” and so appropriate today for a number of our teams who are going for promotion, a play-off place, fighting to avoid relegation, or reaching a cup final.

But this is what makes football compulsive and so addictive. It’s the drama and the emotional roller-coaster ride it takes you on, whichever end of the table you are at.

So, what emotion will you be experiencing come the end of the season for your team? Remember, nothing worth having ever came easy.