Birmingham City 4-0 Millwall: Blues end Lions unbeaten away record

Birmingham were unsurprisingly unchanged from Saturday’s home win over Portsmouth, with on-loan Sunderland winger Patrick Roberts passed fit to start, while Millwall made four changes following their 2-2 draw at Oxford United.

Both goalkeepers were tested in very wet conditions in the opening 25 minutes.

Millwall’s Joe Cundle hit a thumping right-footed volley from the edge of the area , forcing Blues keeper James Beadle to palm it away, and Stansfield then forced Millwall’s Max Crocombe to save low to his left with a shot from the edge of the area .

Blues opened the scoring just a minute later as Roberts, who impressed down the right wing all evening sent a cross the box, finding Paik, who fired it home into the bottom right corner.

Birmingham doubled their lead in the final minute of the first half when a heavy touch from Millwall’s former Blues defender Wes Harding gifted the ball to Stansfield.

He exchanged passes on the edge of the box with German striker Marvin Ducksch before crossing for Gray to flick past a despairing Crocombe.

The home side added a key third goal just four minutes into the second half as Roberts again caused problems down the right and pulled it back for Tomoki Iwata.

His cross was headed out but only as far as Blues full-back Cochrane, whose fierce volley from the edge of the area took a slight deflection on the way through.

The influential Stansfield got his sixth goal of the league campaign when Iwata playing a short pass to substitute Keshi Anderson, who found Stansfield just outside the box and he controlled a bobbling ball before shooting past Crocombe to seal the victory.

Birmingham will take huge confidence into their game with third-placed Middlesbrough at the weekend.

Millwall’s defeat, meanwhile, ended an impressive six-match unbeaten start on the road – they managed just two shots on target all evening, and next host Preston on Saturday lunchtime.