Birmingham City Set Up Newcastle Tie
Birmingham City will face Premier League opposition in the next round of the FA Cup after overcoming Lincoln City in the third round at St Andrew’s.
The Vertu-backed side headed into the tie against their League One opponents looking to build on a strong run of form in the league, which sees the Blues currently leading the way with two games in hand over the chasing pack.
Things couldn’t have started much better for Birmingham in freezing conditions when the game got underway, with the home side scoring its quickest goal in the stadium since the 1999/2000 season.
From the kick-off, Birmingham broke down the right hand side and a cross from Scott Wright found Ayumu Yokoyama, who controlled the ball at the back post before firing home.
The goal was timed at just 32 seconds and gave Birmingham the perfect start to proceedings, with the home side continuing to create the better chances – most notably when Lukas Jutkiewicz forced ‘keeper Zach Jeacock into a smart save from a header.
Bailey Cadamateri missed Lincoln’s best chance of the first half when well-placed, and the game appeared to be heading towards a 1-0 home win until 13 minutes from the end when Lyndon Dykes volleyed in a stunning effort from 20 yards out to double Birmingham’s advantage.
There was still time for a late scare when Jovan Makama converted a penalty in stoppage time for Lincoln but it was too little, too late as City survived to make it through to the fourth round.
Newcastle United will visit St Andrew’s @ Knightshead Park in the fourth round having overcome Bromley in their third round tie.