A stoppage-time goal from Koji Miyoshi earned Birmingham a 2-1 win over Hull in their FA Cup third-round replay.
The result earned Tony Mowbray his first victory since taking over as manager at St Andrew’s following the sacking of Wayne Rooney.
Birmingham had to come back from a goal down to win the tie after Jason Lokilo’s first goal for Hull put them ahead after 12 minutes.
Mowbray made five substitutions just past the hour mark and it was a move that changed the game. Two of those substitutes scored, with Jay Stansfield equalising three minutes after coming on.
Both sides named differing line-ups for the tie, with Birmingham making seven changes from the weekend and Hull 11, presumably with Friday’s match against Sunderland in mind.
Birmingham threatened more in the opening minutes, with Keshi Anderson and Gary Gardner testing goalkeeper Matt Ingram.
However, it was Hull who opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a superbly executed move.
Billy Sharp, in his first start for Hull, made the most of a slip by Krystian Bielik and found James Furlong on the left. His cross was converted first time by Lokilo from eight yards.
The former Crystal Palace youngster made a summer move to Humberside from Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam.
Hull went in search of a second goal, but Greg Docherty’s long-range effort swung away from the target.
Friday 19th January 7:30pm
Kick off 8:00pm
Birmingham sensed an equaliser and when Jordan James delivered a ball into the area, Romelle Donovan just failed to connect with it in front of goal.
Gardner’s overhead kick was met by Bielik six minutes before the break, but he headed wide of the target.
Blues goalkeeper John Ruddy kept his side’s deficit to one goal when he made an important save from Hull forward Tyrell Sellars-Fleming.
Jordan James responded for Mowbray’s side with an angled shot that flew just wide of the far post.
Mowbray’s raft of changes had an immediate effect as two substitutes combined to score the equaliser. Miyoshi’s shot was pushed out by Ingram, with Stansfield converting the rebound for his eighth goal of the season.
Siriki Dembele almost scored a second for Birmingham when he floated a long-range effort narrowly wide.
With extra-time looming, Miyoshi forced the ball home after being supplied by Stansfield to book a fourth-round trip to Leicester.
Mowbray: You have to trust players
Birmingham boss Tony Mowbray:
“The substitutions undoubtedly changed the game with the quality they brought. My intention was always to provide energy so I was always going to make substitutions. The supporters will get used to that.
“Modern day football is why you have to have a squad, you don’t weaken your team by making substitutions, you freshen it up.
“You make sure the lads who aren’t starting know they have an important part to play in the match.
“You have to love the players and trust them, they have to know the gaffer’s on their side. You can’t just have 11, everyone has to be part of the team. The lads who came on brought how we want to play and what we want to do, they got their rewards.”
Rosenior: Watershed moment in our season
Hull boss Liam Rosenior:
“I was proud of the young players and their performance. But we ran out of legs. I have to be so careful at the moment as we have injuries coming out of our ears and two players on AFCON duty.
“We also have an important game against Sunderland coming up on Friday.
“I have to manage the squad in the right way. We couldn’t fill the bench here. But, yet again, we’ve somehow managed to throw away a comfortable position and lose the game.
“It’s hard, I’m frustrated. I’m sick and tired of coming in after the game and saying ‘Well done, the performance was great, but we didn’t get the rewards’.
“This has to be the last time. It’s a watershed moment in our season, this result has summed up a lot of our games.
“But I don’t throw players under the bus, but we have to knuckle down. We’ll come through this.”
What’s next?
Birmingham return to Championship action away to Stoke City on Saturday; kick-off 3pm.
Hull City visit Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Friday, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 8pm.
