By @LaticsOfficial

Latics produce a superb away performance to defeat Birmingham City at the Armco Arena

  • U21s Report | Birmingham City 1 Latics 4
  • Latics produce a superb away performance to defeat the Blues at the Armco Arena
  • Four second-half goals help the young Tics earn all three points in the Professional Development League 

BIRMINGHAM CITY 1

Patterson 75’

LATICS 4

Stones 51’ + 80’

Adeeko 57’

Own Goal 81’

A superb away performance saw Wigan Athletic U21s defeat Birmingham City U21s at the Armco Arena on Monday afternoon.

In a brilliant afternoon’s work, four second-half goals helped Latics earn a deserved three points in Solihull, and bounce back from last week’s defeat against Cardiff City.

The young Tics headed to Solihull Moors’ Armco Arena, determined to get back to winning ways after four consecutive defeats in the Professional Development League. 

Latics made eight changes from their last outing against Cardiff City, with Dylan Dwyer, Charlie Hughes, Ethan Mitchell, Scott Smith, Abdi Sharif, Luke Brennan, Joe Adams and Josh Stones all coming into the starting XI. 

It was the visitors, in fact, who were the first to go close to scoring following some wonderful combination play between Brennan and Stones. Stones did brilliantly to hold up play and set it out wide to Brennan who returned the favour by squaring it to the forward, but his first-time effort was skewed off target. 

The attacking duo linked up again two minutes later, this time admittedly more fortuitously, when Brennan’s deflected shot deflected up in the air for Stones to attack, but his header soared over the crossbar from six yards out. 

Stones continued to be a real handful in the opening stages, and he once again came close to scoring when he hit a thunderous effort on the turn from the edge of the area, but Blues goalkeeper Alfie Brooks dived at full stretch to push it behind. From the resulting corner, Brennan’s delivery was met by Mitchell, but his lofted header was cleared off the line. 

Smith was the next to threaten when he evaded a number of challenges on an excellent run from deep and shot from 25 yards out, but his driven effort flew narrowly wide of the mark. 

Latics almost got the goal that their impressive first-half display deserved in the 41st minute when Brennan’s low cross was flicked on at the near post by Stones, but the 18-year-old couldn’t gain a strong enough connection to divert his effort into the back of the net. 

The visitors started the second half in the same manner that they finished the first, and their good work was finally rewarded when Stones broke the deadlock in the 51st minute. Kieran Lloyd’s pinpoint delivery from the right was nodded back across goal by Brennan, and Stones was on hand to hammer his effort into the bottom corner. 

It got even better for the young Tics just six minutes later when Adeeko doubled the visitors’ lead following another brilliant move. Lloyd was once again the architect, driving into the area from the right-hand side, and picking out the run of Adeeko who took a touch before calmly stroking his effort into the bottom corner. 

Despite having come under little pressure for the majority of the Professional Development League encounter, the Blues pulled a goal back when Rico Patterson provided the finish to a low cross from the left-hand side. 

The response from Latics was exactly how you would hope, and they hit back with two quick-fire goals. First, Stones netted his second of the afternoon when he raced onto Brennan’s through ball and finished confidently beyond the onrushing goalkeeper. Latics then added a fourth when Adams’ dangerous low cross was turned into the back of the net by the Blues defender. 

For Latics, it then became the case of protecting their hard-fought lead during the dying stages, and they held on to earn a superb victory at the Armco Arena. 

Birmingham City: Brooks, Sullivan, Longelo, Browne, Walker (Capt), Trialist, Khela, Patterson, Trialist, Wakerfield, Hamilton. 

Subs: O'Sullivan, Pendleton, Mazin, Williams, Home.

Latics: Mooney, Lloyd (Capt), Hughes, Mitchell, Dwyer; Smith, Sharif, Adeeko; Adams (Chentouf 85), Stones, Brennan.

Subs: Sumner, Grewal, Worsley.