On a fine night for unheralded heroes at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland clambered out of the relegation zone courtesy of two players still to establish themselves as household names anywhere other than their own homes. Daryl Murphy and Rade Prica slip from the memory more readily than they slip off the tongue, but the goals they plundered could hardly have been more vital.

Three delicious points not only lifted Roy Keane’s team away from immediate peril and into fourteenth place, they left Birmingham City spluttering in their wake. On this evidence, the task facing Alex McLeish at St Andrew’s is anything but straightforward. City, who have not won any of their past six matches in all competitions, were devoid of confidence and inspiration.

Keane has struggled to attract established players to his club — Robbie Savage, Matt Taylor and Stephen Hunt have all been targeted and failed to appear — but on this occasion the lesser figures proved inspirational. If Sunderland are to retain their status in the Barclays Premier League, they will require more of the same given that Keane has now declared their transfer business “done”.

Sunderland have mustered two wins and kept two clean sheets from their past three games, form that is as timely as it is welcome. “We’ve still got a massive test in front of us,” Keane said. “But the priority is where we are in May. It’s nice to be saying that we didn’t play well and won, because that’s what all the decent teams do.”

Murphy was a £100,000 buy — by Mick McCarthy — from Waterford in 2005, a fee that his second goal in Sunderland colours this season has now repaid. Prica and Phil Bardsley, who was excellent on his debut at right back, are more recent additions but they, along with their team-mates, warranted their reward last night. Relief was widespread.

Murphy’s fifteenth-minute intervention was rudimentary in nature, yet it delivered the ground into raptures. Bardsley’s deep free kick invited the spring-heeled Kenwyne Jones to out-leap Liam Ridgewell and flick the ball on. His partner in attack finished with his left foot, on the volley.

Before kick-off, Birmingham could boast the most accomplished away record of any side lodged in the bottom five and while there were intimations of danger when they broke through, those moments were desperately rare.

Birmingham’s potential was demonstrated, as was their fragility, shortly before the interval, when Cameron Jerome negated Sunderland’s offside trap — Jonny Evans, the centre half, mistimed his interception — and tore unhindered towards Craig Gordon. An equaliser should have followed, but all the goalkeeper was obliged to do was stand his ground.

There was greater dynamism from McLeish’s team in the opening minute of the second period than at any time that preceded it, but Olivier Kapo, having collected a pass from James McFadden, shot narrowly wide of the left post. Sunderland had not converted their possession into penetration, but succour arrived from the substitutes’ bench.

Prica, a £2 million acquisition from Aalborg, of Denmark, replaced Dwight Yorke at half-time, and the reward was dramatic, if delayed until the 65th minute. Liam Miller’s punt forward caught Ridgewell unawares and the centre half’s header did not reach Maik Taylor. Prica lifted the ball above him.

“Fans always take to strikers who score,” Keane said. “It’s an easy relationship. They don’t care where they’re from or what they look like.” Birmingham were desperate. “We shot ourselves in the foot,” McLeish said. “We were lucky not to lose by more. The next game \ takes on great significance.”

Sunderland (4-4-2): C Gordon – P Bardsley, N Nosworthy, J Evans, D Collins – D Whitehead, D Yorke (sub: R Prica, 46min), L Miller, A Stokes (sub: R O’Donovan, 63) – D Murphy, K Jones. Substitutes not used: M Fulop, P McShane, M Waghorn. Booked: Prica.

Birmingham City (4-4-2): M Taylor – S Kelly, L Ridgewell, R Schmitz, F Queudrue – S Larsson (sub: M Forssell, 66), F Muamba, D Johnson, O Kapo – J McFadden, C Jerome (sub: M Zárate, 66). Substitutes not used: C Doyle, G O’Connor, S Parnaby. Booked: Kapo, Schmitz, Ridgewell.

Referee: M Halsey.