Birmingham City captain Paul Robinson was on the mark last night for the first time in five years as Blues beat Bristol Rovers 3-0 in the third round of the FA Cup.
Robinson’s goal in the first half looked to be enough to give Birmingham a narrow victory over the Pirates, but the passage was confirmed with an additional two late goals from Chris Burke.
Rovers could have taken the lead themselves in the third minute of the game when Elliott Richards latched onto a through ball but with only Colin Doyle to beat, he fired weak shot straight at the grateful keeper.
At the other end Paul Caddis had two good chances to net and Lee Novak had another but former Notts County keeper Steve Mildenhall made three great saves to keep the home side out.
But the Rover’s stopper could do little to prevent Robinson from giving City the lead with a header at the far post.
Midway through the second half Mildenhall stopped Robinson from adding a second after bursting through with the ball that he picked up in his own half.
But as the game approached its final stages, Burke put some gloss on the result by scoring twice in three minutes.
Birmingham City skipper Paul Robinson told the BBC after the game: ‘I honestly thought the goalie was going to get the cross but luckily he missed it.
‘I just kept my eyes on the ball and concentrated on hitting the back of the net.
‘That goal’s been a long time coming. But I’m more delighted that we’re though to the next round and playing Premier League opposition too.
‘The FA Cup matters to the players. The gaffer did not want to change the team. He wants to keep things flowing and keep that consistency ticking over.’
Blues now go forward to meet Swansea City in the fourth round.
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