Football League World
·17 September 2024
In partnership with
Yahoo sportsFootball League World
·17 September 2024
Jordan James reacted to Paik Seung-ho's message after Birmingham City beat Wrexham.
Former Birmingham City midfielder Jordan James praised Paik Seung-ho after he starred in their impressive 3-1 victory over Wrexham AFC on Monday night.
There was an intense build-up to the fixture due to the high-profile figures involved at both clubs, and they played out an exciting game at St. Andrew’s.
Jack Marriott had given the Welsh side the lead, but Blues eventually took control, and Jay Stansfield scored twice to put them ahead before Tomoki Iwata sealed the win with a fine strike from outside the box.
After the game, midfielder Paik took to Instagram to celebrate the win, and James was among those to reply, with the Rennes man simply putting a love-heart eyes emoji and a round of applause.
The 20-year-old clearly still has a soft spot for Blues despite leaving to join Rennes this summer.
He came through the academy at Birmingham and would go on to make over 100 appearances before his summer exit.
So, he will be delighted to see the side performing well, and, like all the fans, he will be hoping that Chris Davies’ side can bounce back to the Championship at the first attempt.
Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the game for Blues was how they controlled it for large parts.
They had to deal with a setback as Wrexham got the opener from a set piece, but they wrestled back control, and once Stansfield had equalised, it seemed like there would only be one winner.
And, Paik was key to that, as both he and Iwata were excellent at dictating the tempo.
It’s early days, but it looks like they have built a real understanding, and they both have similar qualities that work well, as they can win the ball back quickly with their pressing, and they are both capable in possession of starting attacks.
So, Davies will be very pleased with how they played, and whilst Stansfield will take the headlines, the midfield duo gave Blues the platform to win that game.
That’s four wins in a row in the league for Birmingham since the opening-day draw at home to Reading and you have to say that the rest of the league will be worried.
Of course, the financial backing at St. Andrew’s means there is an expectation on Blues to win the league, never mind just promotion, but it seems they will be able to deal with that pressure.
There’s still a long way to go, but that performance last night was a statement of intent from the Blues, as they ultimately beat a promotion rival with ease despite going a goal down.
The challenge for Davies and the players will be to maintain those levels, and, if they do, then they could quickly open up a healthy gap at the top.