Birmingham City will visit Norway on a pre-season tour this summer to prepare for their fourth campaign in the Premiership.

Manager Steve Bruce took his players on tour to Germany last season and Malaysia the previous summer, but this year they will head to Scandinavia.

Blues, who confirmed their itinerary yesterday, will play three games against different Norwegian sides over a sixday period during the middle of July.

Birmingham take on Second Division side FC Egersund first on July 13 before facing top-flight sides Viking Stavanger and Brann Bergen on July 16 and July 19 respectively.

On their return to England, Birmingham have matches lined up against Derby County, Northampton Town and Queens Park Rangers before the new Premiership starts on August 13. n Rory May completed a rousing Redditch United fightback against Blues to win the Birmingham Senior Cup for the first time in 28 years last night.

Blues seemed to have onehand on the county silverware when they raced into a 2-0 through goals from Matt Birley and Ollie Allen inside 25 minutes at the Valley Stadium.

Reds keeper Richard Anstiss had to be at his best to deny further goals after the break when Peter Till and Birley looked set to score but then the Nationwide North hosts fought back in the final 20 minutes.

Scott Rickards levelled proceedings with two goals inside a ten-minute spell and then former Tamworth forward May had the 1,500 crowd on their feet when he notched the winner on 86 minutes. n Aston Villa reserves maintained their bid for the runners-up spot in the Premiership Reserve League North with a resounding 4-1 victory over Middlesbrough.

Fielding a more experienced side than their young rivals, Kevin MacDonald's men took the lead after 20 minutes through Eric Djemba- Djemba's header from Peter Whittingham's corner.

Thomas Craddock's header hit the underside of Villa's crossbar in the 36th minute as the visitors fought back, but Gabriel Agbonlahor produced a stunning finish from Mathieu Berson's searching through ball to make it 2-0 after 51 minutes.

Craddock managed to squeeze the ball home from an acute angle to reduce the arrears on 63 minutes, but Whittingham's shot restored Villa's two-goal advantage, Berson again being the provider after 75 minutes.

With eight minutes to go Luke Moore added the fourth.