Nicky Howell On the scoresheet in Birmingham

Despite a game that City shaded for long periods, David Williams saw his side return empty-handed from their FA Premier Academy Under-18 League fixture in the Midlands on Saturday. Because of injuries and illnesses, Williams started the game with two third years in the shape of Adam Smith and Nicky Howell, while Michael Spillane, fresh from his latest appearances for Republic of Ireland Under-17s, was on the substitutes' bench. Chances were few and far between in the opening 45 minutes, although both sides did play some attractive football. It was the home side who broke the deadlock after 43 minutes when City should have done better defending a corner, allowing Joe Lewis to be beaten from close range. City continued to press into the second half and midway through they managed to pull themselves level. Nicky Howell started the move down the right before picking out schoolboy Chris Martin, who beat his man before returning the ball to Howell who had continued his run, the City winger then having the simplest of tap-ins.

The Canaries then squandered a couple of reasonable chances and that was to cost them dear with just 15 minutes to go when Lewis was beaten again, this time with a low drive from the edge of the box. City Line-Up: Lewis, Jarvis, Cave-Brown, Halliday (Spillane, 55 min), A Smith, Howell, Howlett, Eagle, Bexfield (Muddel 70), Martin, Smart. Subs not used: Eanes, P Smith. City man of match: Andrew Cave-Brown. BIRMINGHAM CITY Under-16's 0 NORWICH CITY Under-16's 0 Gary Butcher's City Under-16 side battled out a 0-0 draw against their Birmingham counterparts on Saturday.

Report from John Landamore and The Pink-Un.