Friendlies Clubs· Season 2026
Match Analysis
AI SummaryCrewe 1-2 Birmingham: Stansfield and Bateman strike as Blues edge pre-season friendly
Birmingham City continued their pre-season preparations with a 2-1 victory over Crewe Alexandra at the Mornflake Stadium on Saturday, with goals from Jay Stansfield and Briar Bateman securing the win.
The Blues, who also faced Northampton Town in a double-header on the day, made a bright start and took the lead inside six minutes when Jay Stansfield found the net to put Birmingham ahead. The early goal settled the visitors and controlled the opening exchanges.
Crewe grew into the contest and equalised in the 21st minute through J. Gibson, who capitalised on a moment of quality to restore parity before half-time. The hosts went into the break level at 1-1 after a competitive first half.
Birmingham regained the lead in the 59th minute when Briar Bateman struck, and the Blues held on despite a late push from the League Two side. Crewe made four substitutions in the 55th minute — C. Thomas, M. Holíček, J. March, and R. Hutchinson all entering the fray — but Birmingham's defence stood firm.
Key moment
Briar Bateman's 59th-minute goal proved decisive, restoring Birmingham's lead just four minutes after Crewe's quadruple substitution and giving the Blues a cushion they would not relinquish.
Key performers
- Jay Stansfield (Birmingham) — opened the scoring inside six minutes with a clinical finish
- Briar Bateman (Birmingham) — scored the winning goal in the 59th minute
- J. Gibson (Crewe) — equalised for the hosts with a well-taken finish in the 21st minute
Context
Birmingham City played a double-header on 25 July, also facing Northampton Town. The Blues secured victories in both matches, continuing their pre-season preparations. Crewe Alexandra, preparing for the 2026/27 League Two season, showed competitive spirit and matched Birmingham for long periods.
Verdict
A productive outing for Birmingham City, who demonstrated attacking quality through Stansfield and Bateman while also giving minutes to a large squad. Crewe can take positives from their performance, particularly their response to falling behind early.
Match Events
Key match events between Crewe and Birmingham — 3 goals and 0 cards recorded during the match.
Rivalry since 2025
Crewe vs Birmingham Head to Head Results· 1
Crewe and Birmingham have met 1 times — Crewe won 1, Birmingham won 0, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2025. Crewe leads the head-to-head with 1 victory from 1 meeting. A combined 4 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 4.00 per match (4 for the home side, 0 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 0 matches (0%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 1 game (100%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. The highest-scoring encounter finished 4–0 in 2025.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 26 Jul 2026