Two goals in eight second half minutes gave Pep Clotet his first home win in charge of Birmingham City.
Strikes from Alvaro Gimenez on his debut and Lukas Jutkiewicz ensured Blues responded in perfect fashion to Saturday’s humbling at Nottingham Forest.
Clotet made three changes to the side which lost so meekly at the City Ground. Gimenez was given his full debut up front, with Steve Seddon and Wes Harding coming in as wing backs. The latter gave as bright a display as anyone in a tight first half of relatively little incident. Harding was a willing runner forward and an important outlet for Clotet’s team.
However, the best chance of the opening period, which ended goalless, came from a set-piece on the half hour. The inventive Fran Villalba picked out Marc Roberts with an in-swinging free kick but the centre half headed horribly wide from seven yards.
Shortly after it was Villalba who forced the only save of the first 45 minutes, when he picked up a lay-off by Jutkiewicz and fired a rising 20 yard shot that required Samuel Radlinger to tip over.
After a nervy start to the second half Blues eventually took control of the game with a double strike. Sixty-nine minutes had gone when Gimenez won the ball back on the edge of the Barnsley box. Villalba twisted and turned before picking out Harding on the right. The wing back lifted a ball into the middle where Jutkiewicz rose highest and powered his header home.
READ 'A diamond' Player ratings as Blues strike force beat up Barnsley
Soon after Seddon launched a brilliant pass into the middle for Gimenez. The Spaniard had plenty to do, the ball bounced in front of him, he controlled on his chest and lifted over the onrushing goalkeeper.
A bright cameo from Jefferson Montero made it a hugely enjoyable night for Clotet and Blues.
FT: Blues 2 Barnsley 0
Well done Blues, they kept their composure and capitalised as Barnsley tired.
A very solid display from Clotet’s men.
Lovely pass
Blues won possession on halfway and Steve Seddon lauched a brilliant pass into the middle for Gimenez.
The Spaniard had plenty to do, the ball bounced in front of him, he controlled on his chest and lifted over the onrushing goalkeeper. Lovely pass, good finish.
And with that Gimenez departs - to a great round of applause and Montero is on.
What a header
Well done Gimenez, he won the ball back on the edge of the Barnsley box, Villalba twisted and turned before picking out Harding on the right.
The wing back lifted a ball into the middle where Jutkiewicz rose highest and powered his header home.
Calamitous
Barnsley nearly gifted Blues a goal there - Juke basically got his head down and charged straight at goal. Barnsley looked like rabbits in headlights and smacked three successive clearances against their own men. In the end Blues made 40 yards and ended up with a corner. Which was criminally hooked low to the near post and sidefooted harmlessly wide. Threequarters of the game has gone.
Blues are wobbling
They are all over the show at the back at the moment. Real pressure from Barnsley.
The atmosphere is lifted by a touching minute’s applause for a Bluenose who sadly passed away recently. Great touch from Blues fans as a picture goes up on the big screen.
That’s followed by a booming Keep Right On.
Back under way
And seconds in Roberts was caught by Cam McGeehan - Dean came sliding across to get his team-mate out of trouble. He picked himself up rubbing his hamstring.
Pictures from the first half
HT: Blues 0 Barnsley 0
That’’s 45 forgettable minutes in the book. Not much danger at either goal, Villabla is the only one who has worked the goalkeeper for either side.
A couple of corners from Barnsley which Blues have repelled. If there is one criticism it’s that Blues aren’t committing enough numbers forward.
Bright from Wes Harding and Villalba though. Just needs a breakthrough.
And by the way possession stats....Blues 35% Barnsley 65%
Quite right too
Mads Andersen’s 756th foul of the game, a sly little nibble at the back of Jutkiewicz, earns him a yellow card. Perhaps he’ll stop booting people now and get on with the game. Eltringham has been very indulgent with the centre half.
First save
Good save by Radlinger that. Barnsley couldn’t get a free kick clear and Juke held it up well on the right corner of the area, fed the ball infield to Villalba whose rising shot needed tipping over. Good effort that from Villalba.
A quarter gone
And still all quiet in terms of goals - and to be fair, goalmouth action. The last few minutes have been spent with Barnsley winding up Juke and referee Geoff Eltringham helping them.
System
Without the ball it’s looking like a 5-3-2, with Villalba on the right of the midfield three.
Very few chances so far, Pedersen has nodded Roberts’ long throw down to the goalkeeper and Luke Thomas hammered Mamadou Thiam’s lay-off over from just inside the area.
Harding looks to be Blues’ best outlet at the moment.
Bright start
David Davis has shown some lovely touches in the middle of the park, Wes Harding has overlapped a couple of times and Blues are looking neat.
Barnsley haven’t had many openings, other than the one presented when Sunjic and Pedersen got in each others’ way and gifted a corner to the visitors, which Blues just about dealt with.
As I write that Davis sticks a simple square ball into touch.
We're off
Blues attacking the Gil Merrick stand in this first half. Blues in their famous blue and white, Barnsley in white tops and red shorts.
Gimenez warming up
Lukas aid
Jutkiewicz has scored in his last three home league games for Birmingham. The last player to score in four in a row at St Andrew’s for Birmingham was also Jutkiewicz in October 2018.
Three at the back
I prefer that for this Blues squad.
I don’t think you can really play a 4-4-1-1 with this squad because of the lack of natural width. Jacques Maghoma is the only recognised winger in the squad and he’s injured. Without him there is zero delivery into the box for Jutkiewicz.
The width will come from Harding and Seddon this evening - which means they will have to get some decent delivery into the box for Juke. Let’s hope they can provide it, certainly Harding did, memorably, on the final day of the 2017/2018 season when Blues beat Fulham 3-1.
The youngster rifled over a near-post cross that Juke converted for an early lead.
Team's up
Jefferson Montero’s clearance has come through and he could make his Birmingham City debut against Barnsley this evening.
The Ecuadorian winger starts on the bench for tonight’s game, with Pep Clotet making changes to the side which lost at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Maxime Colin is injured, which allows Wes Harding to make his first Championship start of the season. Steve Seddon is also involved which suggests Blues could operate with wing backs.
Kristian Pedersen, Marc Roberts and Harlee Dean protect Lee Camp. David Davis and Ivan Sunjic are in central midfield with Fran Villalba supporting strikers Lukas Jutkiewicz and Álvaro Giménez.
The Spaniard makes his first start having come off the bench at the City Ground.
BLUES: Camp; Harding, Roberts, Dean, Pedersen, Seddon, Davis, Sunjic, Villalba, Jutkiewicz, Gimenez. Subs: Stockdale, Medina, Montero, C Gardner, G Gardner, Crowley, Bailey
Pep's programme notes
Bit of a rallying call from Pep.
“We are working very hard on our prganisation and on always being a solid team and have already proved this season that we are capable of performing well.
I am sure we will keep progressing as much as we need to when it comes to cutting out certain defensive mistakes.
Once Forest got on top, with their goals, it made things harder for us. We had to take risks, be barve and push forward and even though we got punished this time we knew it was the only way to fight for a result.
We have brough in new players who have not been here that long, it is a new way of playing, but we remember what this team has done well in the past.”
