Joe Willock doubles as Newcastle Edge Out Birmingham in Thriller | FA CUP

A wet evening, a smooth pitch and two committed teams and suddenly the FA Cup does not look in a completely troubled state. This was a remarkable draw, played at a remarkable pace, filled with incident and endeavor and enlightened by a fantastic goal from Tomoki Iwata. Japan International’s strike was not enough to prevent Newcastle from reaching the fifth round, but it was the highlight of a performance from which Birmingham will not only go up to the championship.

The weather was ideal for the fourth round of the cup, a thick veil of drip that threw everything in a suitable nostalgic soft focus. Although promotion is clearly the priority for Birmingham, this was a game that matters, something clear from dozen or so guys in Burberry caps and scarves outside the New Street Station that sang not convincingly about much how they hate geordies to pre- Match Light Show with local rapper Jaykae.

Not surprisingly, after Euphoria from Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Arsenal, Eddie Howe made nine changes to the Newcastle lineup, only Dan Burn and Bruno Guimarães started both games.

It didn’t take long for any lingering feeling of well -being to evaporate when Birmingham took the lead within 43 seconds, Ethan Laird was lingering via Callum Wilson’s trunk after Kieran Dowell’s corner was on his way back over the target of Keshi Anderson.

After monitoring relegation in their first season, the consortium has led by Tom Wagner and the front of Tom Brady, who owns Birmingham Stansfield of Fulham.

Birmingham’s strength as they are climbed to the top of the League One, have been their defense, with only four goals admitted in their previous 13 games, but it was the attacking side of their game that caught the eye before half time. Scott Wright was a sustained threat that ran Infield from the right, while another well-worked set-play forced Nick Pope into a stretch that saves himself to his right to keep Anderson’s volley.

After escaping with it, Newcastle’s greater quality began to impose on itself, largely through the direct operation of 21-year-old Dane William Osula to the right, and they were ahead of the 26th minute.

First, the line man Nigel Lugg, a former Warehouse Operations Manager from Croydon, Bailey Peacock-Farrell did not quite create an astonishing rescue to keep Joe Willock’s Near Maga’s Osula, two meters out in front of an open goal, had somehow hit the ball on the back of his standing leg.

Birmingham, to their enormous credit, did not appear even though the game was increasingly played in their half. Stansfield was already on its way wide from a promising position as Iwata ran on to a jumping approval and smuggling of a first -time shot in the upper corner from 25 yards. Only the most of the hearts pointed out that when the ball flashed past Laird, he was in an offside position. Such is life without VAR and Goalline Technology.

Drizzle turned to rain, but the only reason why the pace that was hidden early in the second half was a few injuries that forced both Burn and Marc Leonard. Burn at least could hobble with what seemed to be a groin problem, though he must be a doubt about next month’s Carabao Cup final, but Leonard demanded a stretcher after his light ball took his knee into studs in Lewis Miley .

Newcastle never looked completely comfortable, but in the end they found the winner Willock Pouncing to drill Sean Longstaff’s cross-cum shot between the legs of Peacock-Farrell after 82 minutes. Birmingham may have just begun to tire, and while Willock’s race was not picked up, it does not detract from the speed of the instincts or the sharpness of the finish. It was not Newcastle’s best performance, but given the changes it was never likely it was: this was about getting the job done – and they did.