Birmingham 1 - 2 AFC BournemouthGlenn Murray rescues Bournemouth with late winner at Birmingham City
Home team scorersMichael Morrison 40
Away team scorersLee Tomlin 44 Pen
Glenn Murray 85
Bournemouth’s second string came from behind to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup but Birmingham City made sure Eddie Howe’s team had to fight a great deal harder for the victory than when they won 8-0 on their last visit to St Andrew’s 15 months ago.
Glenn Murray, on as a substitute, scored the winner five minutes from time to provide his manager with a reminder of his goalscoring knack as Bournemouth prepare to break their transfer record with the £12m signing of Benik Afobe.
That Bournemouth’s priorities obviously lie in retaining their Premier League status was evidenced by the 11 changes Howe made to his starting line-up from the goalless draw with Leicester City, before the two top-flight home games in the next week. But it was the change he was making to his squad, with the imminent acquisition of Afobe from Wolverhampton Wanderers, that could turn out to be equally significant.
Afobe is reportedly due to have his medical at Bournemouth on Sunday morning before becoming the club’s record signing. In the long-term absence of Callum Wilson, out with a ruptured cruciate ligament, Bournemouth’s top scorers have mustered no more than three league goals apiece in the first half of the season – neither Junior Stanislas nor Murray is a regular starter – and Afobe has a proven track record, albeit beneath the Premier League.
With 10 goals this term in a middling Wolves team, and with his Arsenal upbringing, Afobe could be a crucial addition for Bournemouth, who have also brought in Juan Iturbe on loan until the end of the season, pending a work permit.
Bournemouth needed a penalty at St Andrew’s to equalise three minutes after the Championship side had taken the lead through Michael Morrison. The Birmingham captain headed in from around 12 yards from David Cotterill’s free-kick as Gary Rowett’s side made a rather better fist of this contest than the last occasion on which Bournemouth had visited.
That record defeat, as Howe’s team waltzed their way to the Championship title, ushered in the arrival of Rowett from Burton Albion and what a difference he has made to Birmingham, who were seemingly doomed to League One back then. Even while selling their starlet Demarai Gray to Leicester for £3.5m, Birmingham have moved to within two points of the play-off places after successive wins.
Bournemouth looked to have taken control in the first half, Yann Kermorgant heading Marc Pugh’s right-wing cross against the bar and the rebound straight back to Adam Legzdins, when Birmingham went ahead five minutes before half-time. But then Lee Tomlin equalised from the penalty spot after Jonathan Grounds was adjudged to have bumped Eunan O’Kane to the turf in the penalty area.
In almost exactly the same spot, 14 minutes into the second half, Birmingham were granted a penalty. Maikel Kieftenbeld appeared to dive under O’Kane’s challenge but James Vaughan, whose loan from Huddersfield Town has just been extended until the end of the season, blazed his spot-kick over the bar.
That miss was made to seem all the more costly when Jacques Maghoma, the substitute, and then Andrew Shinnie shot against the same post before Jon Toral, although given offside, shot wide from the third attempt.
And Birmingham paid the ultimate price five minutes from time. From Steve Cook’s right-wing cross, O’Kane’s header was parried back for Pugh whose effort was also blocked by Legzdins only for Murray to scramble the ball over the line for his fourth goal of the season. It was that kind of game.
Guardian
