OPPO: Birmingham City
VENUE: St Andrews Stadium
RESULT: Birmingham 0 Sunderland 2
TEAM: Poom, Breen, Babb, McCartney, Wright, Oster (Thornton 104), Arca, Thirlwell, Whitley, Stewart (Smith 62), Kyle
SUBS NOT USED:.Ingham, Cooper, Williams
BACK IN BLACK: Mike Dean (Wirral)
ATTENDANCE: 25,645
MCCARTHY’S COMMENTS
“It was a well earned and deserved victory over both games. I think the lads have shown to everybody that they’ve got plenty of character.
“When I took Stewie off he was having a whinge, said he was full of running – but he perhaps should have scored with a chance he had – the header just before I took him off. After the game he came and patted me on the back, said “great substitution gaffer!”
“Stewie’s done well but it’s one of those things – I’ll keep mixing and matching my centre forwards and see if we can get a formula that wins us games.”
…a performance full of graft and craft.
Jeff Whitley’s performance against Robbie Savage was a cornerstone of Sunderland’s success in the first game and the Black Cats midfielder was again on song against his former schoolmate, putting in a man of the match performance.
The only thing lacking from Sunderland’s play in the first half was a good final ball; as they looked comfortable at the back, especially Breen, and kept possession well.
Sunderland were comfortably the best side in the first half.
Sunderland succeeded in frustrating the home fans who started to get on the backs of the Blues players.
Birmingham struggled to cope with Sunderland’s clever attacking play.
Kyle’s presence was always a problem for Purse and Cunningham.
Birmingham upped the tempo after going behind but in Breen and Babb, Sunderland formed a solid wall in front of Poom.
BIMINGHAM CITY FC OFFICIAL SITE
Steve Bruce’s team looked jaded throughout the game and put in what must be regarded as one of their poorest displays of the season against a team which obviously wanted the victory more.
The Blues can have no complaint about the result.
Following Dunn’s untimely removal Sunderland began to take control of the midfield.
Sunderland pressed on and sloppy defending exposed Maik Taylor.
In the 89th minute the impressive Oster exposed Jeff Kenna with his pace.
The visitors deservedly took the lead in the first period of extra time.
Birmingham committed FA Cup suicide with a dismal performance.
Sunderland came away with a deserved win.
The home side’s flailing and floundering came back to haunt them.
Scottish striker Kyle was causing problems for the Birmingham defence with his height and strength.
Mikael Forssell, so inspired of late, was uncharacteristically quiet in the first half, kept under control by Gary Breen and Phil Babb.
TOMMY SMITH’S love affair with the FA Cup captured thousands of new hearts last night.
Sunderland picked up where they left off in the first match.
A sterile replay in a muted atmosphere handed the edge to the Black Cats.
Steve Bruce’s damning condemnation (of his side) told the whole story as Sunderland picked up where they left off in the first match.
Sun MOTM: Tommy Smith
Sun Player ratings: Poom 6, Wright 6, Babb 6, Breen 6, McCartney 7, Oster 7 (Thornton 6), Thirlwell 6, Whitley 7, Arca 6, Kyle 6, Stewart 6 (Smith 8).
…a deserved victory over Birmingham in last night’s fifth-round replay.
Smith left the Premiership defence trailing before finishing with aplomb.
No one came closer to preventing the additional half-hour than Sunderland’s John Oster.
Birmingham, the more enterprising side in the first half, could not have complained had their First Division opponents gained the reward their second-half dominance merited.
Oster was a particular threat to Birmingham’s jaded-looking defenders with his running on the ball.
Sunderland, who last reached the quarter-finals in 1992, thoroughly deserved their win after the initial draw at the Stadium of Light on St Valentine’s Day
The game was little more than two minutes old when Sunderland made the first impression, with Kyle’s cross offering Stewart a chance he squandered.
It was Sunderland who appeared the more confident in the early stages.
Birmingham were labouring in attack and when they did approach Sunderland’s goal, their finishing was disappointing.
Tommy Smith denied Sunderland an FA Cup quarter-final place last season when playing for Watford so last night he did the decent thing by guiding the Wearsiders through to the same stage.
Birmingham City had spoken so presumptiously about an easy quarter-final awaiting them that they had all but printed the tickets for the tie.
Birmingham barely left their own half after the break as Sunderland poured forward.
Birmingham reached extra time accompanied by a chorus of boos but it only got worse.
Smith capitalised on a demoralised home defence with an unchallenged, arrow-like run capped by a gentle chip over Taylor.
Sunderland had the first real chance in the second minute when Kyle found Stewart in space eight yards out but he failed to make full contact and his left-foot effort was saved.
Mart Poom then caught an 18-yard effort from Morrison and he also thwarted Bryan Hughes from a similar distance.
Stewart was caught offside on a few occasions in the first half and both sets of fans voiced their displeasure at a number of such decisions.