Ayumu Yokoyama and Lyndon Dykes fired a much-changed Birmingham City team to a 2-1 win over Lincoln City in the FA Cup.

Yokoyama and Dykes’ goals ensured Blues advanced to the fourth round of the competition despite Chris Davies making seven changes to his line-up. Jovon Makama reduced the deficit late on but Blues held on to extend their unbeaten run to 12 games in all competitions.

Yokoyama required just 35 seconds to make his mark after a month on the bench. Scott Wright picked Yokoyama out at the far post and the Japanese winger stepped inside his man before slotting underneath Lincoln goalkeeper Zach Jeacock.

The left flank seemed to be Blues’ best route to goal. A sumptuous cross from Alex Cochrane was powered goalwards by Lukas Jutkiewicz but Jeacock – who was on Blues’ books this time last year – tipped the header over the bar.

Lincoln caused Blues issues with long throw-ins at Sincil Bank in October and they almost forced an equaliser from one in the 30th minute. A clearance dropped invitingly to Bailey Cadamarteri but he volleyed wide from the penalty spot with Bailey Peacock-Farrell helpless.

There wasn’t much to write home about in the opening 30 minutes of the second half before Alfie Chang’s introduction. The midfielder has battled back from an horrific knee injury to make his first senior appearance since August 2023.

Dykes made the game safe for Blues 12 minutes from time with a contender for goal of the season. The striker chested the ball down, looped it over his marker’s head and volleyed into the top corner from 25 yards.

The referee made the game interesting in stoppage time by giving a penalty against Blues for a foul made by Chang. Chang looked perplexed by the decision before Makama squeezed the ball past Bailey Peacock-Farrell from 12 yards.

Lincoln mustered up one more attempt from a 95th minute corner that Freddie Draper could only head wide. Blues escaped and a place in the fourth round awaits.

Bailey Peacock-Farrell 6

Other than one hairy moment early in the second half when Peacock-Farrell couldn’t get hold of the ball inside his box the goalkeeper enjoyed a relatively relaxed afternoon.

Taylor Gardner-Hickman 7

Gardner-Hickman started at right-back but he drifted into midfield alongside Leonard when Blues were in possession and he played it well. The utility man put in a couple of strong challenges.

Alfons Sampsted 7

It wasn’t perfect but Sampsted adapted well enough to a position that isn’t entirely familiar to him and seemed to improve as the game wore on.

Christoph Klarer 7

Another solid showing from the Austrian at the heart of Blues’ back-line. Klarer took responsibility when Lincoln hurled the ball into Blues’ box and made sure he got his head to things.

Alex Cochrane 7

Cochrane’s defensive solidity helped Yokoyama on the far side but the pair weren’t always in sync. Davies will be pleased to see Cochrane come through unscathed given the lack of an alternative at left-back right now.

Marc Leonard 7

You can rarely fault Leonard’s quality in possession and he matched it with a willingness to battle off the ball too. The Scot held everything together at the base of a makeshift midfield.

Luke Harris 7

Harris built on his improved showing at Wigan with another decent outing in a slightly deeper midfield position than usual. The 19-year-old dovetailed nicely with Leonard and intelligently filled the spaces that the Scot vacated to press out of possession.

Scott Wright 7

Wright managed more than an hour on his first start in three months and played his part in Blues’ opener with the cross for Yokoyama. The winger showed his dribbling ability on occasions but clearly still has gears to get through.

Lyndon Dykes 8

Dykes’ touch was on point all afternoon and he picked up pockets of space to turn and set Yokoyama free down the left. The goal topped off one of Dykes’ best performances in a Blues shirt.

Ayumu Yokoyama 7

Yokoyama took his goal brilliantly well with a shimmy inside his man and a smart finish underneath the goalkeeper. He had further opportunities to wreak havoc but his touch and decision making let him down a bit.

Lukas Jutkiewicz 7

The 35-year-old gave Blues a presence in attack and held the ball up well. Everything that went into Jutkiewicz stuck in what was a masterclass in hold up play and bringing others into the game.

SUBS

Ethan Laird (for Wright, 62) 6

The right-back made one excellent run past three players before being tugged back – not that the referee noticed.

Alfie Chang (for Sampsted, 73) 6

Chang put himself about and was unfortunate to concede a penalty on his first senior outing in 18 months.

Paik Seung-ho (for Jutkiewicz, 73) 6

Paik played out the final 20 minutes to give Blues’ midfield a freshen up. He could start at Swindon.

Willum Willumsson (for Yokoyama, 73) 6

Willumsson had a good chance to make the game safe in stoppage time but couldn’t take it.

Zaid Betteka (for Harris, 87) N/A

A proud moment for the teenager whose family were up to capture pictures of his senior debut. Another player produced by Blues’ academy.

Not used: Allsop, Davies, Iwata, May

Attendance: 17,032

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