Friendly match: 1FC Nurnberg 1 Birmingham City 2

Birmingham City rounded off their pre-season tour to Austria with another victory in Westendorf, their third straight win in the Tirol.

Goals by Garry O’Connor - after just 11 seconds - and James McFadden proved enough in a keenly fought contest in Bramberg against the Germans.

Blues gave a debut to Marcus Bent as a substitute in a second-half that was made difficult by constant rain that soaked the pitch.
Sebastian Larsson made his first appearance of the pre-season tour as well and put in a sprightly 45-minute performance.

Blues stunned Nurnberg from the kick-off when McFadden waltzed down the left hand side, eluding a clutch of players, and teed the ball up deliciously for O’Connor. He leapt high and steered the cross in strongly with his head, with goalkeeper Daniel Klewer left overwhelmed.

The front pair continued to work well together and Nurnberg’s defence was struggling to stop Blues. But sloppy marking from a quick throw-in on the left allowed Peter Perchtold to smash in an equaliser on the half-volley.

Blues struck back 60 seconds later in the 16th minute when they approached swiftly down the right and Larsson whipped in a swinging cross that Klewer, at full length, palmed away.

McFadden, quickly swivelling back on himself, thumped the ball home with his left foot.

Martin Taylor was thwarted by a double save and then hit the post with a glancing header from a Gary McSheffrey corner.

Blues made a raft of substitutions at the interval and almost extended the lead when Lee Carsley drilled a low shot from 20 yards that was pushed round the post.

As the game went on and more changes, personnel and positional, were made, Blues became ragged.Angelos Charisteas should have scored when he started a move from deep, taking advantage of a slack pass by David Murphy, and then got on the end of cross.

Colin Doyle saved, and became a busy man during the remaining 15 minutes when Nurnberg pressed hard for another goal.
Daniel Gygax dragged an attempt wide when put into a threatening position and Blues lived on their nerves to the end whistle.

Birmingham City: Maik Taylor (Doyle, ht), Parnaby, Murphy (Wilson, 83), Martin Taylor (Jaidi, ht), Ridgewell (Kelly, ht), Larsson (Jerome, ht), Nafti (Mutch, ht), Carsley, O’Connor (Phillips, ht), McFadden (Bent ,62), McSheffrey (Matumona, 70).