At St. Andrews

29th November 2000

Att: 18,520

The Jamaican international volleyed home as Newcastle failed to clear a corner to earn the Blues a last-eight clash at home to Sheffield Wednesday.

It was fully deserved for the First Division side after they bombarded the Magpies goal in the second half. Yet early on, Newcastle seemed set to run away with the game.

Kieron Dyer has appeared on the front pages of the newspapers more often than the back recently. Following his latest indiscretion, he answered his critics in the right manner, scoring for the second successive game.

Just 13 minutes in, Warren Barton mishit his cross, but the Blues could still only half-clear the ball and as it came down, Dyer dispatched it into the bottom corner with a sweet right-footed volley.

Geoff Horsfield twice missed golden opportunities to equalise, first sliding his shot wide when through the middle, then seeing his shot saved by Steve Harper after Dele Adebola’s pull-back.

Indeed, it was left to the Nigerian striker to show Horsfield the way with a rare header to force his side level. He was given all the space he needed inside the six-yard box to head home as Newcastle’s narcoleptic defence fell asleep.

Birmingham stepped up the pace in the second half and only a string of fabulous saves by back-up goalkeeper Harper kept the Premiership side in the game.

Horsfield could have had four but simply couldn’t find a way past the one-man brick wall in the Newcastle goal. Martin Grainger did find a way past him, but with the goal at his mercy, the defender slipped and ended up kicking air.

Substitute Mark Burchill also had a wonderful chance as he beat the offside trap but his control let him down and again Harper saved.

Yet right at the death, Johnson stepped up to gather a second Premiership scalp in this season’s competition.