Jay Stansfield scored the only goal as Birmingham City beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 in their final pre-season fixture
Birmingham City reporter for BirminghamLive and the Birmingham Mail
Jay Stansfield celebrates his goal for Birmingham City against Nottingham Forest
Birmingham City rounded off their pre-season campaign with a 1-0 victory over Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest.
Jay Stansfield scored the only goal of the game at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park as Blues warmed up for their Championship opener with Ipswich Town in the perfect way.
The final game of pre-season always provides a different level of competitiveness and both teams were snapping into tackles from the off.
Blues haven’t always looked in sync during pre-season but Demarai Gray and Stansfield were on the same wavelength to create the first opening for Keshi Anderson on the left inside 10 minutes. Anderson pulled the ball back in Stansfield’s direction but the striker lifted it over the bar.
Stansfield went close again when he smashed a first-time effort wide of the upright after Paik Seung-ho’s shot deflected into his path.
Blues’ top scorer from last season found the net at the third attempt midway through the half with a clever finish under pressure inside Forest’s box. The striker did well to set himself before squeezing the ball beyond Matz Sels and into the corner.
Forest upped the ante after half-time and Blues made seven changes in the opening 20 minutes of the second half which affected their fluidity.
Morgan Gibbs-White went close to an equaliser when he connected with Elliot Anderson’s clever free-kick.
A poor pass from substitute Lyndon Dykes gifted the ball to Gibbs-White late on and before Blues knew it Chris Wood was one-on-one with Ryan Allsop. Wood didn’t finish like a striker who scored 20 Premier League goals last season and Allsop collected his tame effort.
Forest had one final chance to spoil Blues’ day when Taiwo Awoniyi raced clear of Eiran Cashin late on but Allsop beat his shot away from goal.
This year’s Trevor Francis Memorial Match ended the same way last year’s did, with a Blues victory.
You Ready for this?
There is no better way to get you in the mood for a new campaign than this stunning 64-page EFL special edition.
We profile all 72 clubs in the EFL, have every team’s fixtures, look at the key players, and provide a comprehensive list of the crucial dates not to miss.
Your guide to the EFL is on sale now. Click here to buy.
Ryan Allsop 7
Blues’ pursuit of speed in the transfer market means Allsop will have more runners to hit with his laser-like long passes and he whipped out the seven iron to find Gray in behind in the first half. Allsop was confident with his hands when Forest managed to work him.
Ryan Allsop of Birmingham City
Bright Osayi-Samuel 8
Osayi-Samuel appears to have beaten Laird to the starting berth at right-back and he was very impressive against Forest. He flew forward at speed and never neglected his defensive duties to keep the dangerous Hudson-Odoi quiet.
Phil Neumann 7
The German wasn’t overly worked but he did have to react sharply to clear the danger at the start of the second half. Neumann looks set to beat Cashin to a start against Ipswich.
Christoph Klarer 8
Klarer looked comfortable on the left side of Blues’ defensive pairing but he wasn’t always keen to play out with his left foot. He was dominant aerially and pressed aggressively into midfield in the first half to retrieve possession.
Nottingham Forest’s Dan Ndoye (left) and Birmingham City’s Christoph Klarer battle for the ball
Alex Cochrane 7.5
Coped well with £34million man Dan Ndoye, with a little bit of help from Anderson. Cochrane crunched into one midfield challenge in the second half to win the ball cleanly and delight the crowd.
Tomoki Iwata 7.5
Iwata was dependable at the base of Blues’ midfield and stepped forward aggressively at points in the first half to press Forest and push them back. The Japanese midfielder’s head is constantly scanning out of possession to cut off passing lanes.
Paik Seung-ho 8
Played up to the level against Premier League opposition and looked at home. The midfielder, who donned Blues’ number eight shirt on the day, took the ball under pressure and ghosted past Forest’s midfielders when he had to.
Tommy Doyle 7
There is so much to like about Doyle in possession, be it from a deep-lying midfield position or in the number 10 spot. He took up some clever positions and combined well with his teammates.
Demarai Gray 8
There were a couple of flicks in the first half that showed Gray’s Premier League class, particularly the one which set Stansfield away in the build-up to the game’s first real chance.
Keshi Anderson 7.5
One nutmeg to wriggle away from Anderson inside his own defensive third was wonderful. Anderson provided superb support to Cochrane to prevent the Blues left-back from becoming isolated by Forest’s big money signing Ndoye.
Birmingham City’s Keshi Anderson (centre) in action during the pre-season friendly against Nottingham Forest at St Andrew’s.
Jay Stansfield 8
The striker opened the scoring at the third attempt with a tidy finish after missing two chances. Stansfield pressed superbly and looked sharper than you would expect in his first game in three weeks.
SUBS
Eiran Cashin (for Neumann, 57) 6
The left-footed centre-back fizzed the ball about and generally looked more comfortable after a full week’s training with his new club.
Marc Leonard (for Paik, 57) 7
Leonard snapped into tackles in front of Blues’ back four and was always available for a pass. A good cameo from the Scot.
Willum Willumsson (for Doyle, 57) 6
Willumsson is getting a fair crack from Davies in pre-season but needs to show his best form at the beginning of the season to avoid Blues dipping back into the market.
Kyogo Furuhashi (for Stansfield, 57) 6
Made some decisive movements in behind Forest’s defence and was almost found by Anderson. Kyogo is similar to Stansfield in the way that he sets the press.
Ethan Laird (for Osayi-Samuel, 65) 6.5
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Laird and Osayi-Samuel become a regular substitution to ensure Blues always have an energetic option down their right side. Laird played well when introduced.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman (for Anderson, 65) 6
Started on the left before switching to his preferred midfield position. One misplaced long ball frustrated Gardner-Hickman and Davies behind him.
Lyndon Dykes (for Gray, 65) 5.5
Dykes almost inadvertently helped Forest equalise late on with a poor pass that resulted in a big chance for Wood that he didn’t take.
Krystian Bielik (for Klarer, 77) N/A
Alfons Sampsted (for Cochrane, 77) N/A
George Hall (for Iwata, 77) N/A
Not used: Beadle
Attendance: 18,269
Are you confident Blues will fare well in the Championship? Let us know your thoughts HERE