August Priske scores twice as Birmingham crush Preston 4-0
Key takeaways
- Birmingham beat Preston 4-0 at St Andrew's on Oct 13. August Priske scored twice in two minutes.
- Liam Millar opened the scoring and Demarai Gray added the fourth. Preston finished the game with 10 men.
- The win lifted Birmingham to third in the Championship. Preston stayed bottom with one win in 10 games.
Birmingham City beat Preston North End 4-0 on Tuesday night. August Priske was the star of the show. The striker scored twice in two minutes.
Around 20,000 people searched for the standings after the game.
The win was big for Birmingham. It was their third win in four games. It was also their first home win of the season.
It lifted them to third in the Championship table.
Preston had a night to forget. They gave up three goals before half time. They also lost a player to a red card.
They stay at the bottom of the table.
The Championship is the second tier of English football. It sits below the Premier League. The top two teams go up at the end of the season.
Teams in third to sixth place enter the play-offs. Those play-offs decide one more promotion spot.
What happened
Birmingham started fast at St Andrew's. The home fans made a loud noise. The Blues took the lead in the 34th minute.
Jay Stansfield played a smart pass to Patrick Roberts. Roberts crossed the ball low into the box. Liam Millar met it and scored.
It was his second goal for the club.
Preston tried to stay in the game. They had some chances in the first half. But the last five minutes of the half broke them.
Birmingham scored twice in two minutes of stoppage time.
Stoppage time is extra time added at the end of a half. It makes up for pauses in play. The referee adds it for injuries and delays.
Teams must stay sharp until the whistle.
The first Priske goal came in the second minute of added time. Referee Sam Allison dropped a loose ball at Alex Cochrane's feet. Cochrane curled a pass behind the Preston defence.
Priske ran onto it and scored with a calm finish.
Seconds later, Birmingham struck again. Jhon Solis won the ball from Jordan Thompson. He passed to Stansfield.
Stansfield squared the ball to Priske. Priske curled a shot in off the post from the edge of the box. The crowd went wild.
Priske nearly got a third goal soon after the restart. Millar crossed from the left. Priske headed at goal from 12 yards.
But the ball went too close to goalkeeper Daniel Iversen. Iversen held it.
Preston's night got worse 11 minutes after the restart. Stan Mills was sent off. He had been booked at the start of the second half for a foul on Millar.
Then he lunged in on Cochrane. The referee showed a second yellow card. Two yellow cards mean a red card.
The player must leave the field. His team plays with 10 men.
Birmingham kept pushing. Max Bird came on and almost scored at once. He volleyed straight at the keeper.
Then he headed at Iversen from a Roberts cross. The fourth goal finally came in the 77th minute.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman drove forward. He laid the ball off for Bird. Bird found Demarai Gray on the left side of the box.
Gray cut inside and curled the ball home. It was his third goal of the season.
The final score was 4-0. It was a full and fair win for Birmingham. They were better in every part of the game.
Why it matters
Priske is the story of the night. The Dane scored two goals in two minutes. That took his tally to five goals in 11 games this season, according to DAZN.
A brace means two goals in one game. His brace broke the game open.
Birmingham boss Chris Davies praised his striker after the game. He said Priske does all the hard work first. He fights, runs, and presses.
Then the goals come too. Davies said Priske has two good feet and a good touch. He said Priske can score headers as well.
The win also showed Birmingham's promotion hopes are real. Sky Sports said the win underlined their growing promotion credentials. Third place is a strong spot.
The season is still young. But Birmingham now look like a team that can fight at the top.
Preston are in deep trouble. They have one win after 10 matches. They sit at the bottom of the table.
Their new boss Graham Alexander has now lost both of his games in charge.
Alexander said he was hurt by the score. He said the last five minutes of the first half were a major blow. He said his team had chances at 1-0.
But at 3-0, the game was gone. He said the timing of the goals took the wind out of his team.
The red card made things harder. Preston played most of the second half with 10 men. That is a huge task against a strong team.
They fought, but they could not close the gaps. Birmingham used the extra man well.
What happens next
Birmingham will want to keep this run going. Three wins in four games is strong form. A first home win takes pressure off the team.
The fans will expect more of the same.
Priske will be full of confidence. Strikers live on goals. Two goals in two minutes will lift him.
If he keeps scoring, Birmingham will keep climbing. The next games are a test of how far this team can go.
Preston must find answers fast. One win in 10 games is a poor start. The bottom of the table is a hard place to escape.
The team needs points soon. The next game is already a big one.
Alexander must lift his players. He said his team showed the right mentality in the second half. He must turn that spirit into points.
He also must fix the defence. Four goals in one night is too many.
For fans checking the standings, the picture is clear. Birmingham are up to third. Preston are bottom.
One night changed both stories.
Read how Coventry beat Newcastle 4-1 in the Premier League. See how Millwall edged Swansea 1-0 in the Championship. Check Bolton's 3-1 upset win at Wolves.
Two minutes changed this game. Priske scored twice. Preston fell apart.
Birmingham marched to third. That is why this result is trending today.
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