Birmingham City beat Blackpool to reach the FA Cup third round
Birmingham came back to haunt former manager Steve Bruce in the FA Cup as they overcame Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.
The Blues battered their hosts in the first half, scoring twice through Lyndon Dykes and Lukas Jutkiewicz, and a second-half strike from Jordan Rhodes for Blackpool failed to force extra time.
Birmingham's obvious desire for a strong start paid off when Dykes smashed home after a scramble from a corner in the seventh minute.
Fan favourite Jutkiewicz then poked home a rebound to extend Birmingham's lead afer 24 minutes.
Blackpool boss Bruce, who played for Birmingham before managing the club between 2001-2007, made four changes at the break and the hosts came out fighting in the second half.
They pulled a goal back through one of those changes as Rhodes fired home in the 56th minute.
Somehow, the Blues did not restore their two-goal lead 10 minutes later, when substitute Paik Seung-ho missed from a yard after Dykes had headed across the face of goal from a corner.
But that did not prove costly as the hosts never really created a clear-cut chance to send the tie to extra time as City eased into the third-round draw.
Report supplied by PA Media.
The Blues boss gives his thoughts as his side progress in the FA Cup.
