For the second week in a row, Birmingham City’s squad strength was demonstrated inside 20 minutes of the second half.
Chris Davies made three high-quality substitutions before the 65th minute against Leyton Orient, much as he did last Saturday when the Blues bench dominated Wycombe Wanderers. Willum Willumsson and Ayumu Yokoyama made an impact at Adams Park and were summoned again.
We were most interested in seeing Taylor Gardner-Hickman, the Blues’ newest recruit, make his debut. Gardner-Hickman joined having made 95 Championship games for West Bromwich Albion and parent club Bristol City. That makes him another high-quality signing in an area of the field where the Blues are strong.
The 22-year-old has replaced Jordan James in the squad, and he wore the Welshman’s No.19 shirt during his debut at Brisbane Road. He has a comparable physical frame to James and shown his athleticism quickly after going on. Gardner-Hickman pressed high and picked an Orient midfielder’s pocket, feeding Yokoyama out wide.
Davies placed him slightly ahead of anchorman Paik Seung-ho, but not quite on par with attacking midfielder Willumsson. His vigor helped Blues in the latter stages. Davies commented: “I felt he did extremely well, especially coming into a tense game. Playing away from home is never easy.
“He was precise and tidy with the ball, made sound decisions, and was strong and powerful in the defensive duties that he had to do. He was disciplined in this role, and I believed he contributed quite effectively. He provided us with positive energy in that area when we needed it.
Gardner-Hickman even attempted to emulate his amazing debut goal for Bristol City against Middlesbrough last season. This time, his right-footed curler soared into the stand rather than the top corner. Nonetheless, the Stourbridge-born midfielder’s debut in royal blue went well.
Gardner-Hickman is the latest in a long series of Championship-caliber acquisitions — and he isn’t even guaranteed a starting role. Blues have had a transfer window that most League One clubs can only dream about.
