A resurgent Wycombe side built upon their 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday last week by coming from behind to beat Birmingham City 2-1 at St. Andrew’s Trillion Trophy Stadium.

Marc Roberts headed in his second-ever Blues goal to give the hosts the advantage going into half-time. Unfortunately for Aitor Karanka’s men, the Chairboys came out fighting in the second half and Scott Kashket redirected Fred Onyedinma’s powerful drive to equalise and set up a tense finale for the match.

In the end, it was an own goal from Kristian Pedersen in added time that clinched a huge victory for league newcomers Wycombe, who were lifted off the bottom of the table by only their second ever win in the EFL Championship.

For Birmingham, though, it proved to be a tough and chastening night, and Karanka will be disappointed his side couldn’t add to their back-to-back victories in their last two games.

Blues End Streak

Birmingham City seemed to be turning their fortunes around with two successive wins after a poor start to the campaign, but Wycombe’s resilience proved their undoing on Wednesday night.

The home side were by far the better team in the first half, with Jérémie Bela proving influential down the left wing with his direct runs and crossing ability. Bela and Lukas Jutkiewicz combined for a number of chances before the break, but it was Roberts who converted from Bela’s cross to open the scoring for the hosts.

Ultimately, the Blues were unable to replicate their dominance in the second half, struggling to find the final ball as Wycombe quietly grew in confidence. Kashket’s equaliser sparked Birmingham back into life, but they could not seem to hit the target as the game neared its conclusion.

A lapse in concentration in added time allowed the visitors to flood the box and force the own goal, crushing Blue hearts at the death. Karanka can certainly take positives from a strong performance in the first half, but defensive frailties will need addressing if Birmingham hope to challenge for the playoffs at the end of the season.

Wycombe Wait Late to Seal It

Gareth Ainsworth’s side have struggled thus far this season, securing just four points from a solitary win and one draw in their opening nine fixtures, and the newly-promoted Chairboys found it difficult to create chances in the first half. Birmingham’s offensive onslaught kept the visitors at bay, and it was clear that Wycombe would need to change their game at half-time if they hoped to gain anything from the match.

A long-ball style of play in the first half saw Wycombe regularly lofting the ball high up to sole striker Adebayo Akinfenwa, but the huge player was overwhelmed by blue shirts and unable to keep possession up the pitch. Ainsworth changed this strategy after the break, opting to keep the ball on the ground and play through Birmingham’s defence more directly. This change in tactic worked wonders, as Daryl Horgan and Onyedinma ran the Blues defence ragged.

It was Onyedinma whose powerful drive was redirected by Kashket past Neil Etheridge, who had kept the visitors out throughout with a string of impressive saves. Kashket’s snapshot was too fast for the former Cardiff keeper, however, and Wycombe sensed the chance to achieve back-to-back wins with the scores level going into the last ten minutes.

Either side could have won the match in the closing period, as chances were missed at both ends of the pitch, but pressure from Onyedinma on Pedersen in the penalty area forced the mistake and awarded Wycombe a precious three points in their quest to escape the relegation zone.

You could see how much the win meant to Wycombe’s players after the final whistle, as they celebrated as if the game were a cup final. For Ainsworth’s men, survival in the Championship is the main priority, and they are now just one point behind the teams outside the relegation zone.

For Birmingham, this will go down as a missed opportunity to capitalise on a weaker side and make inroads into the table, instead dropping to 14th. A lack of goal scorers will be worrying for Karanka, but the Spaniard can take solace in the attacking promise showed by the Blues in the first half as his side now turn to Saturday’s game against AFC Bournemouth.

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