Bowyer’s boys Luk good for survival
LUKAS JUTKIEWICZ rattled up 50 league goals for Birmingham City and took them closer to Championship survival.
“We are not safe yet but we have given ourselves a chance,” said Blues boss Lee Bowyer.
“If we keep putting in performances like that, and keep picking up points we should be fine.”
Blues’ situation looked pretty hopeless when Aitor Karanka was sacked in mid-March but Bowyer is leading yet another Birmingham great escape.
They are nine points clear of 22nd-placed Rotherham who are at home to QPR on Tuesday, Coventry on Thursday and Birmingham on Sunday.
Bowyer added: “I will go and watch the Coventry game.
“That will be half their games in hand used up before we play them.
“We will have more of an idea of what’s what.”
Jutkiewicz was regularly left out by Karanka but is revitalised under Bowyer with three goals in five games.
The Juke, 32, saw off disappointing Stoke with his two goals.
He met Marc Roberts’ excellent cross from the right at the far post three minutes before half-time and headed powerfully in.
And in the 53rd minute sub Sam Cosgrove’s 25-yarder wasn’t collected by Adam Davies and the ball rebounded off him for Jutkiewicz to score.
“We didn’t defend the cross properly for the first goal and for the second our keeper spilled the shot,” said Stoke boss Michael O’Neill.
BIRMINGHAM:
Etheridge 6; Roberts 7, Dean 6, Pedersen 7; Colin 6, Gardner 8, Sunjic 7, Seddon 6 (Friend 90th); Halilovic
6 (McGree (46th) 5); Jutkiewicz 9 (Miller
90th), Leko 5 (Cosgrove 85th)
STOKE: Davies 5; Chester 6, Souttar 7, Batth 6; Smith 6 (Vokes (68th) 5), Mikel 6, Thompson 6 (Clucas (73rd) 5), NorringtonDavies 6; Powell 6; Brown 6, Fletcher 6 (Norton (68th) 5)
STAR MAN: Lukas Jutkiewicz
REF: G Eltringham