Harry happy after Che’s treble sees Blues cruise
Che ADAMS showed his worth to Birmingham City on the day the club rejected a £3million bid from the manager who took him to St Andrew’s. Gary Rowett wants to sign Adams for Derby County a year after doing so for Birmingham, but harry Redknapp will not allow the 21-year- old to be sold and here was evidence why.
Adams scored a hat-trick in a comfortable Carabao Cup first round win over Crawley Town, inflicting a second defeat in as many games for harry Kewell on his debut job in management.
The former Leeds and Liverpool winger is finding out what Red- knapp grew to know long ago, that being a boss is a fickle business and ideals are only as good as the players you have at your disposal.
Kewell has bold ambitions for Crawley but his dishevelled side were thoroughly outclassed by a team who did not exactly enter this contest with a tailwind of expectation. Birmingham are admittedly two divisions above Crawley, but Redknapp has been growing increasingly irritated at the club’s transfer dealings and the opening day Championship loss at Ipswich was concerning.
Redknapp wants reinforcements and his selection here said as much. It was a side featuring five changes, but this performance will hearten the 70-year-old.
It was a surprise it took the home side 28 minutes to take the lead. Adams provided the goal, driving into the Crawley area and hitting a shot that deflected past goalkeeper Glenn Morris.
eight minutes later, Adams nearly had a second. Running onto a dink the striker flicked an acrobatic finish but the ball bounced onto the post and into the arms of Morris.
Soon after, it really was 2-0. David Davis collected possession in midfield, advanced up the pitch and drilled a shot into the corner of the net.
Three minutes before the interval the result was beyond question as Adams finished from two yards out, and shortly after the break it became a complete thrashing, with Robert Tesche heading home with his first touch.
All that was left was for Adams to complete his hat-trick, which he did in the 66th minute by finishing smartly after collecting a neat pass.
Four minutes from time Crawley gained a consolation, with Panutche Camara thumping a shot home from a Billy Clifford throughg ball.