Birmingham City player ratings after Jay Stansfield turns Barnsley game around
League One’s costliest ever player Jay Stansfield inspired Birmingham City to a 2-1 comeback victory over promotion rivals Barnsley at Oakwell.
Stansfield bagged a brace in the second half to turn the game on its head after Stephen Humphrys had given the Tykes the lead. Barnsley were reduced to 10 men in the 71st minute when Adam Phillips saw red.
The opening to the game was marred by a worrying injury to Blues left-back Alex Cochrane. Cochrane came together with Phillips and had to be stretchered off after lengthy treatment.
READ MORE: Key Birmingham City player stretchered off minutes into Barnsley match
READ MORE: Barnsley 1-2 Birmingham City: Jay Stansfield brace turns game around
Blues reshuffled with the introduction of Taylor Gardner-Hickman in Cochrane’s place and created the game’s first chance. Stansfield raced in behind but Georgie Gent caught up with him before he could get his shot away.
READ: Key Birmingham City man Alex Cochrane stretchered off minutes into Barnsley match
READ: Krystian Bielik has made a brutally honest admission to his Blues teammates
Barnsley forward Davis Keillor-Dunn found himself in a similar position midway through the half but Krystian Bieklik came to Blues’ rescue with a last-ditch challenge.
The hosts shaded a drab first half and went close through Phillips in stoppage time. Blues goalkeeper Ryan Allsop was equal to Phillips’ shot from the edge of the box.
Paik prevented Blues from falling behind shortly after half-time with a brilliant goal-line clearance after Jon Russell’s header had beaten Allsop.
Barnsley’s pressure paid off just before the hour-mark after good play from Stephen Humphrys. The forward turned Ben Davies inside out before lashing a shot across goal that Paik bundled into his own net.
Blues were behind for barely a minute when Stansfield took aim from 25 yards and found the top corner. A big moment from Blues’ record signing to draw his team level.
Blues’ quest for a third straight League One victory was aided by Phillips’ red card. The Barnsley midfielder was sent off after picking up his second yellow card for a foul on Ethan Laird.
With 11 minutes remaining, Blues made their numerical advantage pay. Paik’s corner travelled all the way through and Stansfield raced in to head home at the far post.
Stansfield had the chance to seal his hat-trick late on after latching onto Marc Leonard’s through ball but Barnsley goalkeeper Ben Killip thwarted him.
Blues didn't need a third from Stansfield to win at Oakwell. With Wycombe dropping points at home to Reading, third-placed Blues are only one point off top with a game-in-hand.
Ryan Allsop 6
Aside from almost dropping one into his own net early in the second half, Allsop was solid enough between the sticks. The goalkeeper made one good save from Phillips at the end of the first half.
Krystian Bielik 7
Bielik stood up to the physical challenge and looked like his usual composed self in possession. The Blues skipper has adapted well to his new position on the right side of defence.
Christoph Klarer 7
The big Austrian took a whack as he challenged to flick on Paik’s corner for Stansfield’s winner and missed out on the celebrations, not that he will care. Klarer defended his box well on a bitterly cold afternoon in Yorkshire.
Ben Davies 7
While Davies was turned inside out for Barnsley’s goal, Blues are much more solid with him at the back. Blues have only conceded five goals in Davies’ 13 appearances for the club.
Alex Cochrane N/A
Cochrane had only been on the field a couple of minutes when he suffered the injury that would end his game. Davies will hope Cochrane’s problem isn’t serious with Lee Buchanan not yet fully fit.
Tomoki Iwata 6.5
Iwata was a tad sloppy in possession but you can never fault his commitment and quality without the ball. He protects the Blues back four incredibly well.
Paik Seung-ho 8
Paik will unfortunately be credited with Barnsley’s goal but he made two other vital contributions to help Blues win the match. With a goal-line clearance and an assist for Stansfield’s second to his name, Paik enjoyed a good day’s work.
Ethan Laird 6
Laird’s end product let him down in the first half when he did advance into the final third, but he kept plugging away and played his part in the comeback by drawing the foul that saw Phillips dismissed.
Luke Harris 5
Harris wasn’t able to knit things together in a scrappy game and conceded possession too often. He was booked for a rash challenge and that probably played a part in Davies’ decision to substitute him at half-time.
Jay Stansfield 9
We have been waiting for a stand-out game from Stansfield and he delivered it. Having endured a quiet first half, Stansfield grabbed the game by the neck after Blues fell behind and won it for them.
Alfie May 6
May worked tirelessly to try and combine with his fellow attackers but this wasn’t the game for him. The striker barely had a sniff of goal and it wasn’t a surprise to see him withdrawn early.
SUBS
Taylor Gardner-Hickman (for Cochrane, 6) 6
Gardner-Hickman did a job for the team in another position that isn’t entirely familiar to him.
Lukas Jutkiewicz (for Harris, 46) 6.5
Jutkiewicz’s physical presence made a real difference to the Blues attack after half-time.
Marc Leonard (for May, 61) 6
A typically tidy performance from Leonard in midfield and he created a good chance for Stansfield to score late on.
Attendance: 15,357
Not used: Peacock-Farrell, Sanderson, Khela, Yokoyama
