BLUES LOSE ALL TRUST IN TRUSTY
Own goal agony sends City packing
BLACKBURN booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup... thanks to a man who a few years ago had never heard of it.
An own goal in extra time from Birmingham’s Auston Trusty, the Pennsylvania-born 24-year-old on loan from Arsenal, broke the hearts of battling Blues and handed Rovers a fifth-round trip to Premier League Leicester later this month.
It’s been a 2023 to forget for struggling Birmingham, who went into Saturday’s fourth-round tie on the back of five straight Championship defeats.
A last-gasp equaliser from Jordan James at Ewood Park on Saturday earned them last night’s replay but it turned to be merely a stay of execution.
After a goalless first 90 minutes, Trusty turned Sammie Szmodics’ low cross into his own net in the first half of extra time. Victory lifts the gloom for Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Blackburn side, who won at Norwich in round three but who had won only one of their last five Championship matches.
But the result will pile further pressure on Birmingham boss John Eustace. Since winning at Stoke on Bonfire night, Birmingham have won just two matches, one of them at Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup
Both managers made five changes from the original fixture but one player to keep his place was Neil Etheridge, who continued in goal for Blues despite allegations that he was racially abused by fans on Saturday.
Etheridge showed impressive reflexes midway through a quiet first half when Harry Pickering’s fizzed effort took a touch on its way through the crowd. The Blues No.1 appeared wrong-footed but shifted his weight just in time to keep it out.
Rovers stopper Aynsley Pears then made the first of several fine saves when Daniel Ayala diverted Emmanuel Longelo’s low cross towards his own net, with the 24-year-old doing well to shovel the ball to safety.
Pears was beaten two minutes later though and was grateful to see Reda Khadra’s shot fly just wide.
Birmingham were left to rue missed chances when Blackburn finally forced a winner 10 minutes into extra time. Tyrhys Dolan did well down the left and released substitute Szmodics, whose wicked cross into the six-yard box was turned in by Trusty. BIRMINGHAM: Etheridge 7, Colin 6, Sanderson 6, Long 7 (Chong 84), Trusty 7, Longelo 7, Bacuna 6 (James 75), Chang 7 (Graham 105), Mejbri 7 (Gardner 84), Khadra 7 (Jutkiewicz 75), Hogan 6
BLACKBURN: Pears 7, Rankin-costello 6, Ayala 5 (Carter 46, 6), Wharton 6, Pickering 6 (Edun 105), Travis 6, Buckley 6, Dolan 7 (Phillips 111), Dack 7 (Gallagher 87), Brereton 6, Vale 6 (Szmodics 87)