Birmingham City are back in the winner’s enclosure after a commanding 2-0 victory over Exeter City brought them their first win in four games.
A Tomoki Iwata daisy-cutter, his sixth goal in 14 appearances this season, gave Blues an eleventh minute lead they would never lose, nor in truth ever look like relinquishing.
Then football’s script writer showed a humanitarian streak when Jay Stansfield, back at his first and his father Adam’s club, was thrust into centre stage to convert a late penalty for his ninth of the campaign.
Here’s what stood out.
Job done
It wasn’t spectacular, it rarely is unless it’s the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, but this was an assertive and professional display from a team that needed just that.
The manner of Saturday’s defeat at Shrewsbury Town felt like it loosened Blues’ stranglehold on an automatic promotion place. The bandwagon left the Croud Meadow with a dent to go with the handful of scratches picked up at Mansfield and Charlton.
All of which meant this trip to dark, dank Devon, to face a direct team that rarely concedes goals a fixture fraught with risk. Another trepidatious performance here and Blues could quite easily have been turned over once again.
What unfolded though was a commanding showing in which Exeter were competently handled and almost reduced to the kind of bit-part role afforded lowly Sutton United. Gary Caldwell’s men didn’t lay a glove on Blues, although as the game went on they did leave the odd foot in.
Ben Davies, who seems to be on the pitch when Blues are at their most composed, and Christoph Klarer had Josh Magennis and Jay Bird in a cage and Tomoki Iwata and Paik Seung-ho were levels above Ryan Woods and his comrades.
It would have been nice to have seen Blues rattle up a big score but it was necessary to see them quieten the doubters. Job done, back on track.
Jay’s day
Chris Davies made the point that few people in the world will have understood what this match meant to Stansfield. It’s difficult to imagine what must have been going through his mind as he prepared to take his penalty as the stand to his right, named in honour of his father, loomed over him.
His spot-kick was emphatic and his celebration muted. Respectful, sombre, relieved, defiant, triumphant, a wide range of emotions all wrapped into one.
This wasn’t Stansfield’s best game, he drifted in and out of the match in the first half before his sense of urgency made him more noticeable in the second and he ended up hammering his penalty into the back of the net. Any fears the moment would all be a bit too much were laid to rest and that bodes well for further, bigger challenges to come.
The shift in position was an interesting wrinkle, Alfie May was restored to his preferred No. 9 berth meaning the 22-year-old played slightly deeper and to May’s left. However, rather than being forced out on to the wing he was able to operate infield thanks to the licence given to the excellent Alex Cochrane to provide the width.
In the end Stansfield was able to have an impact on the game and when he was substituted in the closing seconds, it was to a warm applause from everyone inside St James Park.
Kry cross
When Ethan Laird plays Cochrane is usually asked to rein in his attacking instincts and stay back. But with Krystian Bielik operating on the right, kind of in Laird’s place, Cochrane was unleashed and allowed to go forward and give a reminder of the quality he possesses.
In the first half his link-up with Paik on that side created a number of openings, not least one which saw Willum Willumsson head his pinpoint cross wide of the post when completely unmarked.
Meanwhile Bielik remained back, mindful of the threat posted by Vincent Harper who seemed willing to take on the Pole one-on-one. Overall Bielik probably edged the contest although his second half booking was needless and pointed to a man not used to be isolated in wider channels.
The decision to have the attacking full back on the left rather than the right points to the fact Davies must have seen a chink in Exeter’s armour when doing his pre-match preparation. If only Willumsson had been as accurate as Cochrane and Blues would have had something tangible to show for their change of tactics.
May's way
There was something pleasing about seeing May back in the central role in which he had thrived at the start of the season. The role which most of us feel is his best.
It’s difficult to say he settled the argument in his favour or re-established his claim on the position on a more permanent basis, so claiming that he looked happier and the team looked more balanced – which I suppose I’m trying to do – is probably me just seeing what I want to see.
The 31-year-old only had one shot, which came at the start of the game when the ball was squared from the right, with his back to goal he took a touch and turned, which gave Tristan Crama the time to block his effort.
It wasn’t until the hour mark that he threatened to break through again, when on half-way he lifted the ball over the defender’s head only to see it handled and a yellow card awarded. Blues’ coaching staff reacted as though they wanted more but in truth May had so far to go, with a covering defender charging back that a red card would have been stretching the point.
In the end he was replaced on 75 minutes having turned in an industrious performance and done his job for the team but it would be no surprise to see Stansfield restored as the No. 9 more often than not.
