Birmingham City's under-21 side delivered a commanding performance to sweep past Gillingham in the U21 Premier League Cup. The young Blues were clinical at MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Tuesday evening, scoring twice in each half to progress comfortably.
Tobechwukwu Ugorji opened the scoring, pouncing on a loose ball near the penalty area to give his side the lead. Jack Quirk then doubled the advantage, putting Birmingham firmly in control before the break.
William Burrell added a third goal after the interval, and substitute Salif Biol completed the rout with a fourth in stoppage time. Gillingham started brightly but found Birmingham goalkeeper Tyrese Warmington in fine form, the stopper making a key early save to keep the hosts at bay.
Gillingham's goalkeeper Taite Holtam was kept busy throughout, making several important stops including one from Carvalho Santos and another to deny Sheldon Kendall. Cameron Antwi captained the home side, which included starters like Whitelock, Kendall and Booth.
The victory provides a positive note for the club's academy as the senior side prepares for a key Championship fixture. Birmingham City's first team currently sits in the table with points from matches, and they host third-placed Middlesbrough at St Andrew's this Saturday. Their recent form reads wins, draws and one defeat from the last outings.
For a look at the squad depth available to the manager, check the squad list.
The referee for the cup tie was Isaac Seale, and the attendance was recorded. Birmingham's unused substitutes included a player named Birmingham, while Gillingham's bench featured Spencer, James, Jones and Silva. The senior Blues' next challenge is a home league game against Middlesbrough on 19 September.
Further reading: Gillingham Football Club
