Blues beat Millwall 3-0 to climb to second in the Championship

Birmingham City swept Millwall aside 3-0 at St Andrew's on Tuesday night, with three first-half goals lifting Blues up to second in the Championship.

Alex Cochrane, Max Bird and Jay Stansfield all scored before the break against a Millwall side that finished third in the Championship last season. The win extended Blues' excellent run to five wins in six matches.

A goal inside a minute

Blues needed only 49 seconds to open the scoring. Ryan Allsop's free-kick into the Millwall box was cleared only as far as left-back Cochrane, who drove the ball into the bottom corner from around 25 yards, his second goal in two games.

Bird, making his first start for the club, doubled the lead, drifting past his marker after a header from Jhon Solis and finishing into the same corner with his left foot.

The third came on the counter-attack. Ethan Laird and Solis won the ball back in defence, Bird found Stansfield, and the club's record signing cut inside from the right to score with his weaker left foot, his first goal in two months.

Millwall had their chances and hit the crossbar from range late on, while Blues substitute Carlos Vicente struck the post. Allsop kept a clean sheet, with the Austrian defender Klarer winning 12 aerial duels.

"We feel we deserve to be where we are"

Head coach Chris Davies told BBC Radio WM: "Getting a margin in a game is wonderful because you have a cushion to work with. Getting a goal after a minute... it's a great strike."

"We were well worth it. We were fluid, aggressive in the press, and didn't give them time or a lot away. It was an excellent first half. The second half could have been better, in patches, but I am pleased overall."

He reflected on how far the club has come: "Two years ago when I came in, this club had been relegated out of the league and were in League One. We have come a long way since then."

"We feel we deserve to be where we are. There is a long way to go but it is nice for us to be up and around the top part of the league and we need to do our best to stay up there."

Swansea next

The victory moved Blues above Swansea City, who visit St Andrew's on Saturday in the final game before the international break. With confidence high and goals coming from all over the pitch, it promises to be a lively afternoon in B9.