At St Andrew’s Knighthead Park, Birmingham City left no room for Preston North End as they dominated the contest to win an emphatic 4-0 in the Sky Bet Championship. The match was a stark reminder of the huge difference between the two teams as the Blues dominated the game from the first whistle, giving their opponents no chance to get on the score board.
The night’s story started early for the visitors, who were already beset by difficulties under Graham Alexander. Preston had failed to score in their last two league games and was sitting at the bottom of the Championship table, having conceded their second consecutive defeat. The Losers had gone 5-0 on the road to try and prevent another embarrassment.
The Birmingham City side got off to a flying start, with Liam Millar netting in the 34th minute to give them the lead at the break. But it was to be August Priske who had the finest of performances, netting a pair of goals that were to become the highlight of the match. The first was in stoppage time of the first half, four minutes before the end of the first half, came his second strike.
The score finally went Liam Millar (34′), August Priske (45′), August Priske (45′) and Demarai Gray (76′). The team was just as dominant in the attacking department as they also possessed the ball 76% of the time in Birmingham. Preston were denied the chance to score, with the opponents forcing them into a set-up defensive system from which they couldn’t produce any threat whatsoever.
Birmingham City won their first home match of the season in the Championship. The win at Knighthead Park was an important one and marked a turnaround in form for them as they climbed up the table. Their defence was impressive, with them recording a clean sheet and a four-goal lead, as they defended a side that had given up two goals in their last outing.
The home side were satisfied at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park as they regained the top end of the table with style. Meanwhile, Preston North End kept on their downward trend, and are having an increasingly difficult battle to avoid relegation. The 0-4 result will stick in the memory, and serve as an example of the disparity between Birmingham’s and Preston’s fortunes this season.
When the match ended, attention was still on the ability of Birmingham City to take this momentum. All the components they needed for a successful campaign were in place, with clinical finishing and disciplined structure. The outcome was a grim reminder of their tough situation, and Preston is wondering how they will stave off another disappointment in the next couple of weeks.
