Birmingham City 0-2 Yeovil Town- Player Ratings

Birmingham City 0-2 Yeovil Town

Yeovil Town ensured that their first ever visit to St Andrews would be a successful one, as two first half goals from James Hayter sealed a first win in six league games for the Glovers.

Yeovil began the match with intent right from the word go, as you would expect from a team battling at the foot of the table. Make shift centre back Hayden Mullins needed to be alert inside the opening minute of the game to block James Hayter’s shot from inside the the six yard box.

Birmingham however did not react to that early warning sign and the men from Somerset took a surprise lead in the 12th minute of the game. Mullins failed to deal with a bouncing ball and his pass back to Randolph did not have sufficient weight on it.The lively Hayter latched on to it and lofted the ball over Randolph who was already some way off his line in anticipation of the back pass.Yeovil soon made their dominance count when Joe Ralls swung in a low cross from the left hand side and Hayter got in front of his man  and directed a superb header into Randolph’s far corner to double their lead.

The home side were greeted with boos at the half time interval from their own fans and a turn around in fortunes never really materialized. Birmingham did enjoy a lot more of the ball in the second period however Yeovil’s two central defenders Shane Duffy and Byrom Webster stood resolute and thwarted Birmingham’s attacking threat. Brian Howard nearly got himself a goal on debut for Blues in the 68th minute. Howard looked certain to score from ten yards out after a pass from substitute Chris Burke but Yeovil keeper Marek Stech stuck out a hand and somehow denied Howard from scoring.

Things could have turned out differently for Blues had that goal gone in but Yeovil never really looked liked conceding the three points from then on. Birmingham’s wait for a win at home since early October goes on after this defeat, while Yeovil will look to kick start their survival bid.

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Birmingham City

 Darren Randolph: Couldn’t do a lot about Yeovil’s two goals and made a very important stop right on the stroke of half time. 7.0 
Mitch Hancox: Struggled to have an impact on the game attacking wise from full back. 6.5
Paul Robinson: Did Okay at centre half as captain but struggled a little against Hayter and Moore up front for Yeovil. 6.0
Hayden Mullins: Played out of position at centre back and it showed during stages of the match. At fault for the 1st goal. 6.0
Paul Caddis: Like Hancox, he struggled to make an impact in an attacking sense. Should not have made it as easy as it was for Ralls to get a cross in for the second goal 6.0
Reece Brown: The 17 year old made his league debut in the centre of midfield and gave the home crowd reason  to look forward to future performances. 7.0
Olly Lee: Failed to get a grip on proceedings during the first half and dominate in the midfield. 6.0
Chris Burke: One of the few bright sparks on a disappointing afternoon for the hosts. 7.0
Lee Novak: Practically anonymous on the left hand side and did not pose threat to Luke Ayling at full back fro Yeovil. 6.0
Brian Howard: Made his debut after signing in mid week and he may be a good bit of business. Would  have had  a goal had it not been for Stech. 7.0
Nicola Zigic: Did not offer anything to Birmingham up front all game. Substitution cheered by some home fans. 5.0

Substitutions

Wade Elliot: Game on as a second half substitute for Brown but had little effect on proceedings. 6.0
Andrew Shinnie: Came on late with Blues chasing the game, but did not have the impact needed . 6.0
Shane Ferguson: Came on too late to conjure a potential Blues comeback  and stamp his authority on proceedings. 6.0

Yeovil Town

Marek Stech: Looked solid in goal all game and made some important stops, including an outstanding save from Bryan Howard. 8.0
Luke Ayling: Had a steady game at left back and dealt with any potential threats well 7.0
Byron Webster: Captained the side and lead from the front with a commanding performance at the back. 7.5
Shane Duffy: Had a good understanding and partnership with Webster and won most tackles and headers he attempted. 7.5
 Zoumana Bakayogo: Started well before picking up an injury at the end of the first half. 6.0
Joe Ralls: Looked a constant threat all afternoon and was a key part of Yeovil’s attacks. 7.0
John Lundstram: Outperformed central midfield rival Olly Lee in all departments. 7.5
Joe Edwards: Played in central midfield and went under the radar slightly compared to his fellow team mates. 6.5
Joel Grant: Notb as impressive as Joe Ralls on the opposite wing but still had a reasonable game 6.5
James Hayter: Bagged himself a brace and proved to be a thorn in the Birmingham’s side 8.0
Kieffer Moore: Supported Hayter well. Height and pace ensured he got the better of Mullins and Robinson. 7.5

Substitutions

Jamie Mcaillister: Came on in the first half for the injured Bakayogo before picking up a knock himself and needed replacing. 6.0
Kevin Dawson: Helped to make sure Yeovil saw the game out comfortably when he came on late into the second half. 6.5
 Matteo Lanzoni: Replaced Mcallister and performed well to keep any threat of a Blues reply down to a minimum. 7.0 

Man of the Match

James Hayter (Yeovil) Hayter looked a genuine threat right from the word go and he really made life difficult for Birmingham’s central defenders. Bagged himself a brace and proved to be the main difference between the two teams as he put his chances away in clinical fashion. 8.0

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