Overview
- Birmingham beat Swansea 1-0 on Saturday with August Priske converting Carlos Vicente’s lay-off from a rehearsed Alex Cochrane free-kick to decide the tie.
- On-loan goalkeeper James Beadle preserved the clean sheet with two crucial saves, including stops from Adam Idah and Ben Cabango.
- Swansea had the better of the first half and created several clear chances but failed to convert despite introducing four substitutes after the hour, including last season’s Championship top scorer Zan Vipotnik.
- The hosts were forced to finish with 10 men after defender Cameron Burgess picked up an injury when Swansea had already used all five substitutions, which limited their late response.
- Birmingham’s set-piece emphasis under specialist coach Scott Fry directly produced the goal and the win gives manager Chris Davies a useful match-ready test before the Championship opener at Sheffield United.