Birmingham City 3 Sheffield Wednesday 1 '“ Four minute blast leaves Owls empty handed

Steven Fletcher gave the Owls the lead midway through the first half but Connor Mahoney equalised for the hosts two minutes from the break.

Though they enjoyed the better attacking play for long stretches of the second half, the game quickly slipped away from Wednesday with Lukas Jutkiewicz and Che Adams netting within four minutes of each other.

Wednesday started brightly and Fletcher was the width of the post from giving them the lead just two minutes in. Cutting in from the right, he smashed an effort off  the far upright from 20 yards.

Both sides snuffed each other out in the middle of the park but the Owls were having better luck breaking through and Atdhe Nuhiu scuffed an effort at Birmingham keeper Lee Camp after a good attacking move.

And Wednesday made their stronger start count on 19 minutes when Fletcher put them ahead.

Tom Lees failed to get a good connection from a Barry Bannan corner, but Morgan Fox headed the ball back across the box where Fletcher charged in to poke home from ten yards.

Birmingham grew into the game and it took a vital touch with Morgan Fox's toe to prevent Che Adams from going clear after turning Michael Hector.

Liam Palmer then had two chances to double Wednesday's advantage.

The first he created from nothing, surging down the right and cutting inside before flashing a shot past the far post after finding his options limited.

The second was a glorious opportunity. The ball dropped kindly to him six yards out but he lashed over an open goal on the turn.

Birmingham enjoyed their best spell after the half hour mark and it took a fine save from Cameron Dawson to tip over Gary Gardner's looping effort. Gardner then headed over from a good position from the subsequent corner.

But the hosts did equalise two minutes from the break.

Mahoney charged down the left and cut inside before unleashing an unstoppable effort from 20 yards into the far corner.

Birmingham came out for the second half strongly and it took a brave block from Palmer on the line to prevent Adams from hooking home from close range.

But Wednesday calmed the pressure with a good spell of patient possession and soon went on the attack themselves.

Nuhiu got the better of Kristian Pedersen on the byline and found Josh Onomah, who miscued his shot from close range while Palmer slammed the follow up wide.

Joey Pelupessy fired narrowly wide from 20 yards while Onomah saw a volley from a long ball blocked by the recovering Pedersen.

But Wednesday were again given a lesson in not taking their chances as Birmingham went in front ten minutes from time.

Jota was given plenty of space on the right to deliver into the box where Jutkiewicz powered home a header.

And before the Owls even had chance to think about a fight back, they were two goals down.

After Wednesday struggled to clear their lines, Pedersen slipped in a pass to Adams who finished confidently past Dawson.

Birmingham: Camp, Colin, Morrison, Dean (Roberts 13), Pedersen, Jota, Gardner (Lakin 87), Kieftenbeld, Mahoney (Harding 71), Jutkiewicz, Adams. Subs: Trueman, Bogle, Solomon-Otabor, Lubala.

Wednesday: Dawson; Palmer, Lees, Hector, Fox; Pelupessy, Bannan, Onomah (Penney 72), Reach; Nuhiu, Fletcher (Joao 78). Subs: Wildsmith, Thorniley, Baker, Preston, Shaw.

Referee: Darren Bond

Attendance: 23,659 (2,964 away)

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Birmingham City 3 Sheffield Wednesday 1 '“ As it happened

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