Mark Sykes nets first Bristol City goals in victory over Birmingham

Posted Sunday, January 15, 2023 by PA

Mark Sykes scored his first two goals for Bristol City in a 4-2 Championship win over Birmingham at Ashton Gate.

The hosts took a 17th-minute lead when Cameron Pring broke down the left and saw his driven cross guided in by Antoine Semenyo.

It was 2-0 four minutes later, Nahki Wells outmuscling new Blues defender Kevin Long before bursting clear down the middle and shooting past John Ruddy.

Birmingham replied on 34 minutes when Troy Deeney powered home a penalty after Pring had brought down Tahith Chong inside the box.

But Sykes restored the two-goal lead two minutes after the break, shooting home from another Pring cross.

And the former Oxford winger added a fourth on 66 minutes, tapping into an unguarded net from Semenyo’s ball to the far post.

Reda Khadra marked his Birmingham debut as a substitute by breaking clear on the left and firing past Max O’Leary on 77 minutes.

But it was not enough for a Blues side who looked wide open defensively. The result and performance lifted the pressure on Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson.

Birmingham gave a debut to experienced defender Long but their other recent recruit, Khadra, was named on the bench.

Backed by more than 2,000 travelling fans, the Blues made a bright start and Pring had to make a goal-saving challenge on Deeney in the eighth minute.

Bristol City looked quick on the break and Long earned a 12th-minute caution for a trip on Sykes as he prepared to shoot from just outside the box.

Both sides wasted early free-kicks from dangerous positions.

Birmingham’s back-line was looking vulnerable before Pring set up Semenyo to break the deadlock and Wells made it two.

Bristol City had several chances to win the ball in the build-up to the penalty, which halved their lead. Chong tricked his way past Pring and it was an easy decision for referee John Busby.

But Pearson’s men continued to look the more threatening as Ruddy parried a Pring drive and they deserved their half-time lead.

Sykes’ early strike in the second period confirmed their superiority. The Blues might have pulled a goal back when Maxime Colin shot wide from close range and then sent on Khadra for Dion Sanderson in a bid to get back into the game.

Chong shot wide from 20 yards before Sykes put the result beyond doubt. Khadra opened his account for the visitors with a confident finish, having already forced a save from O’Leary as the Bristol City goalkeeper advanced rashly to the edge of his box.

The substitute was a bright spot on an otherwise bleak day for Birmingham. Their massed ranks of fans tried to rouse their side to a grandstand finish, but Bristol City still looked dangerous down both flanks and emerged worthy winners.