Ten-man Wolves under-23s twice fought back from deficits against Birmingham City to extend their unbeaten record in this season’s Premier League Cup and maintain their place at the top of the Group H table.
Wolves made most of the early push for goals, and captain Ed Francis thought he had put his team in front with just under half-an-hour on the clock when his free-kick from the edge of the Birmingham area was expertly tipped over the crossbar by Moha Ramos. The home keeper was tested once again moments later when he tipped a Jack Scott effort around the post.
Against the run of play, it was Birmingham who opened the scoring when Jayden Reid netted his first of the afternoon after racing through the Wolves defence and finishing coolly past Joe Young and into the bottom corner.
But just before half-time, Wolves were level. With the ball bouncing around the Birmingham penalty area, it was cleared only as far as Taylor Perry, who took one touch before curling the ball into the top corner with his second.
The young Wolves side found themselves behind once again early in the second period, with Reid almost replicating his first goal, as he latched on to a ball over the head of Francis and placed the ball past Young in the Wolves net.
Wolves’ afternoon became more of a struggle on the hour when Chem Campbell was given his marching orders by referee Steven Copeland when he picked up a second booking for a deliberate handball.
With their unbeaten PL Cup record now hanging in the balance, Wolves fought back for the second time when Renat Dadashov twisted and turned the Birmingham defence, and when it looked as though the Azerbaijani forward had given up the chance, he lashed a shot beyond Ramos to earn his side a well-deserved point.
COMING UP
The under-23s will be back in action next Wednesday evening as they travel to Leamington FC, aiming to reach the semi-finals of the Birmingham Senior Cup – the oldest football cup competition still in existence.
NEXT FIVE
12/02 Leamington FC (A) BSC
17/02 Liverpool (H)
21/02 Leeds United (A) PLC
25/02 Derby County (H) PLC
02/03 Tottenham Hotspur (A)
TEAMS
Birmingham: Ramos, Baker, Roberts, Kieftenbeld (Dugmore73), Djurovic, Williams (Chang 15), Forrest, Stirk, Hilton, Fernandez (Sun 73), Reid.
Subs: Rouse, Zohore.
Wolves: Young, Scott (Lonwijk 68), Estrada, Francis, Nya, Bueno, Taylor, Perry, Cundle (Corbeanu 73), Campbell, Dadashov.
Subs: Smith, Hong Wan, Dongda He.
