Birmingham City Under-18s manager Steve Spooner reserved praise for Ramello Mitchell and Josh Bradley-Hurt after the Blues’ victory against Crewe Alexandra.
The Under-18s won 4-2 away from home in the Professional Development League tie, with the match won by some individual brilliance from substitute Mitchell – who scored a brace to seal the victory.
Spooner’s side recorded their first victory since they played Nottingham Forest away on  January 12 – a 1-0 win.
He said: “Once we changed the shape at half-time, we were able to break a lot quicker on the counter which was helped by Ramello coming on, who had a great impact and he took his chances very well.
“He could have very much have grabbed a third.
“The substitutions worked really well because they have to come on and shown their worth, Ramello showed that especially as he scored some excellent goals.
“We helped Crewe at times by asking them to sit a bit deeper than usual to let them have the ball but then there comes a point where you can’t keep letting them have it.
“So, with the change of shape, we were able to get more bodies around the ball which proved to come off.
“Josh made some terrific saves which were very important because, if they were put away, it could have been a different game entirely”.
Bradley-Hurst was delighted with the victory and was very pleased with his side’s display.
“We dug in, especially in the second-half when they (Crewe) kept coming at us with the long balls but we dealt with it well and tired them out and got the win,” said the Scotsman.
The youngster made an outstanding number of saves to keep Crewe at bay, ensuring his side held on to their lead as Blues held onto their lead in a very tough fixture on the road.
He added: “You just live in the moment, you don’t think about it, you just react instinctively and that’s just how it went.”
Anthony Davies, a supporter of the Under-18s side, was delighted to witness the victory.
He said: “It was great to see the lads get the three points after some tough and disappointing results recently. I thought they were very unlucky not to win against Hull the other week, but I am glad they reaped the rewards (here).”
