Pilgrims get Jobe done
JOHN WRAGG
BIRMINGHAM went down to 10 men and sent on 16-year-old Jobe Bellingham for his debut to try to save their FA Cup skin.
But extra-time sub Ryan Law sent almost 3,000 Plymouth fans inside St Andrew’s into raptures with the 104th-minute winner.
Birmingham, struggling in the Championship, were bombarded by League One Plymouth who hit the post and missed chances galore.
The Pilgrims’ FA Cup record is so poor they had only been past the third round once in 13 years, but they were good enough to frighten Blues.
Birmingham’s centre-half George Friend was ordered off in the 68th minute for two yellow cards.
Bellingham, younger brother of Jude Bellingham who Birmingham flogged to Borussia Dortmund for £30million, came on for the last torrid 20 minutes and had one great moment playing wide and taking on defenders to give Birmingham a rare chance.
Blues, on a poor run of one win in eight games, had tried to dictate the tie early on and had a lot of possession.
But what they achieved with that was poor and Plymouth were sharp on the break and could have been ahead in the first half.
Ryan Hardie angled a shot wide after 13 minutes and had a better chance when Birmingham keeper Neil Etheridge challenged and got the ball away at his feet.
New central-defender Teden Mengi, making his Birmingham debut on loan from Manchester United, needed to find his feet quickly.
Not only that, but Mengi had Birmingham’s only opportunity of the first half, miss-heading off his shoulder first and then making Mike Cooper save with a second chance.
Friend tried to liven things up for Blues with a couple of runs, even getting flagged offside at one point, which might be a career first.
But when he went off, Birmingham were in trouble.
Jordan Garrick was twice thwarted by Etheridge, Conor Grant should have scored in the 79th minute and sub Nial Ennis then rattled a post.
It got more frustrating for Grant when he tried a tricky back heel that went wide in the 87th minute and the tie went into extratime, Law slamming in his left-foot cracker.
BIRMINGHAM CITY: Etheridge 8; Colin 6 (Williams 105), Mengi 7, Friend 7, Pedersen 6; Campbell 6,Woods 6 (Sunjic 90), James 6 ( Bellingham 70, 6); Gardner 6 (Chang 105; Hogan 6,Deeney 6.
Subs not used: Trueman, Aneke, Familia-castillo Walker, Roberts.
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE: Cooper 7; Bolton 7, Scarr 7, Gillesphey 7; Houghton 7; Edwards 7, Randell 7 (Law 97), Mayor 7, Grant 7; Carrick 8 (Lewis 120), Hardie 8 (Ennis 53, 6)
Unused subs: Burton, Pursall, Garside, Shirley, Issaka.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Neil Etheridge. His saves kept Birmingham in the tie.
REFEREE: Rebecca Welch 7.