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Exeter City 0 Birmingham City 2 - Jay Stansfield scores on return as Grecians beaten
Jay Stansfield capped his emotional return to St James Park with a goal as Birmingham City eased to victory over exeter-city-fc>Exeter City. The Blues cruised to a 2-0 win as they showed their class.
Birmingham’s early dominance was made to count with just 11 minutes gone. Tomoki Iwata lashed home a beautiful finish from the edge of the box to break the deadlock. Willum Willumsson missed two golden chances to extend the lead in a first half the Blues were in control of.
City were marginally better after the break but never laid a glove on ‘the best team in League One’, as they had been referred to pre-match. And they sealed the points in the latter stages when after Ilmari Niskanen gave away a penalty for a handball, Stansfield, against his former club and where he grew up, sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to make it two.
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It is now just one win in six in League One for the Grecians, who drew a blank in front of goal for the third successive outing as they stayed 11th in the table. Birmingham rose to third after the triumph.
Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell made three changes from the side who were beaten 3-0 by Wrexham on Saturday. Ryan Woods, back from suspension, returned to the side. Vincent Harper was also recalled, while Jay Bird made a first League One start. Caleb Watts and Kamari Doyle dropped to the bench, while there was no Ben Purrington in the squad. For Birmingham City, former Grecian academy product Stansfield was in the starting line-up.
The Blues had the first chance of the game. Joe Whitworth's clearance was intercepted by Keshi Anderson just outside the box. He found Alfie May who turned and got the shot away, but Pierce Sweeney made a vital block. It was an early let off.
But with 11 minutes on the clock, Chris Davies’ side took the lead. City struggled to clear their lines and Iwata chested the ball down on the edge of the box. He took a touch and then rifled a stunning finish into the bottom corner which Whitworth could do nothing about.
Moments later, it should have been two. Alex Cochrance swung in a cross, Willumsson was left unmarked six yards out, but diverted his header wide of the post. City though rallied and created a couple of half chances through Harper and Ilmari Niskanen, but they came to nothing.
The Blues continued to look dangerous every time they went forward and had another golden chance. A free kick found an unmarked Chrisoph Klarer. He headed it across goal, Pak Sueng-Ho clipped the ball back, and again Willumsson was unmarked. Again though the striker somehow headed wide when it looked easier to score.
On the stroke of half-time, Whitworth made another incredible instinctive save. The ball pinballed around the box, Anderson’s shot took a deflection off Tristan Crama, but the Crystal Palace loanee stuck out a boot to turn it wide. But the visitors went in 1-0 up and deservedly so.
Neither side made a change at the break, but the pattern of play remained the same, with Ed Francis nearly doubling the Blues’ lead when his attempt to head clear went inches wide of his own post. City were probing and patient in possession, but hadn’t forced Ryan Allsopp into any meaningful action.
Woods talked himself into the book on the hour for a needless yellow card, which was his fifth of the season, and thus another suspension for the midfielder. The game, played in driving rain, had become incredibly scrappy with a real lack of quality.
Sonny Cox replaced Bird with Caldwell’s first change, before Doyle and Amani Richards came on for Woods and Harper. It took until the 78th minute before City’s first real chance when Jack McMillan picked out Josh Magennis with a teasing cross, but the forward’s downward header was saved.
But in the 83rd minute, Birmingham sealed the victory. Niskanen was adjudged to have handled a cross and referee Alex Chilowicz pointed to the spot. Up stepped Stansfield, and he sent WHitworth the wrong way to score against his boyhood club and secure the three points.
Cochrane saw a free-kick whistle just over the bar, while Allsop finally had a real save to make from a Magennis effort from distance in the 89th minute.
Exeter City are back in action on Saturday when they host Chesterfield in the FA Cup second round. Wycombe Wanderers then visit St James Park in the league next Tuesday.
Exeter City: (3-4-3) - Joe Whitworth, Pierce Sweeney, Tristan Crama, Ed Francis, Ilmari Niskanen, Jack McMillan, Ryan Woods (Kamari Doyle, 72), Vincent Harper (Amani Richards, 72), Jack Aitchison (Caleb Watts, 87) Jay Bird (Sonny Cox, 58), Josh Magennis
Subs: Shaun MacDonald, Jack Fitzwater, Kevin McDonald,
Booking: Crama, Francis, Woods, Doyle
