Birmingham City continued their charge towards Wembley with a 2-1 win over Swindon Town to reach the quarter-finals of the Vertu Trophy.

Swindon striker Harry Smith inadvertently scored Blues’ winner in the 89th minute at the County Ground, 14 minutes after the substitute had cancelled out Ayumu Yokoyama’s opener.

The victory was sealed without a number of key players and extended Blues’ unbeaten run to 13 games in all competitions. Blues are now into the last eight of the Vertu Trophy and two games away from a date under the arch.

READ MORE: Chris Davies reveals Willumsson blow and issues for Iwata and Paik after Birmingham City win

READ MORE: Chris Davies highlights Ayumu Yokoyama skill Birmingham City 'need to utilise'

Winning is a habit

Blues might occasionally leave us wanting more, and they certainly weren’t free-flowing against Swindon, but they don’t half have an ability to churn out victories. Chris Davies has led Blues to victory in 24 of his 33 matches in charge – a record which gives him a 72 percent win ratio.

Thirteen of those victories have come by the odd goal and Blues have developed another useful habit of scoring late in games. Blues have scored 12 times in the 79th minute or after throughout this season.

A winning culture was what Knighthead wanted, Davies has built a team that is a winning machine. They always seem to find a way.

A goal straight off the training ground

The detail that Davies and his coaching staff provide these players with is next-level. In recent games Blues have deployed a near-post corner tactic and Alex Cochrane perfected the delivery when it mattered on Tuesday.

Cochrane whipped an inswinger into the dangerzone and Blues had enough bodies hurling themselves at the ball to create confusion in Swindon’s six-yard box.

“We have tried a lot of near post corners recently but that was the plan from that side tonight,” said Davies. “What was nice about it was there was a little moment before the corner where Alex has gone to speak to Jukey and Lyndon about the delivery and the timings of the movements. I liked the poise and concentration they had there to execute that.

“I think it was an own goal in the end but we crashed in at the near post. From the other side we were a bit more creative with short corners, but I’m really happy for us to get a set piece winner.”

Ayumu Yokoyama gets into his stride

Starting back-to-back games undoubtedly helped Yokoyama find his groove against Swindon. The 21-year-old was hit-and-miss against Lincoln on Saturday but he was a hit for 60-odd minutes in Wiltshire.

Yokoyama had the beating of Swindon right-back Tunmise Sobowale and was Blues’ most dangerous player. We have seen Davies scream at Yokoyama in frustration at points this season, on Tuesday he did little other than applaud the Japanese flier’s efforts.

Yokoyama had variety in his wing play, occasionally scampering down the outside, sometimes checking back and delivering an inswinger with his favoured right foot, or just playing a simple pass inside to a teammate when the take-on wasn’t on.

We shouldn’t expect Davies to now think Yokoyama is ready to start a league game where the stakes are higher, but it did feel like he took a step forward at Swindon.

Leonard and TGH hold the fort

Blues had the depth to cope without Tomoki Iwata and Paik Seung-ho. Marc Leonard and Taylor Gardner-Hickman anchored the midfield effectively in the absence of Davies’ preferred midfield pairing.

Leonard is the unluckiest player in League One to have Iwata and Paik ahead of him, and Gardner-Hickman is arguably the finest utility player in the third tier. They have been impressive mainstays in Blues’ Vertu Trophy run.

“They’ve had a few games together and done well," commented Davies. "Marc knits the game together really well. He understands how to play it in games like this and with Taylor’s energy, they are a good combination. Taylor’s really tenacious and has a lot of energy about him. We’ve got four really good midfield players.”