After Rovers put their name into Round Five of the FA Cup – with a visit to Leicester City on the cards – Jon Dahl Tomasson discussed his side’s spirit and resilience that saw them edge a tight game against Birmingham City, at St. Andrew’s, by a 1-0 scoreline, after 120 minutes of football.
“I’m delighted with the win and progression into the next round to play a Premier League side, in Leicester City. It was a tough game, tonight, but the lads put in a great performance. It was a tight game, but I believe we deserved to win it and advance. During the game, we played some good football, created some great chances and probably should have scored a couple of goals. We knew that we were playing a good side who will always ask questions of you.
“I think overall, we were solid defensively, as well. Playing 120 minutes is tough, but I thought we played well. The build-up for the goal, although it was an own-goal, was very good. Keeping a clean-sheet is a huge positive. The lads all worked extremely hard and they deserve huge compliments, both, those who started and the five substitutes that came off the bench. We brought a lot of fans tonight who showed their passionate support all night, which was great to hear. It has been a great journey in the domestic cups, this season and we’re happy to celebrate another cup victory with our fans. The club haven’t been this far in the FA Cup in recent years, so I’m delighted we can send the fans home happy.
“It has been a positive season and we’re delighted with how this season has gone, but we should always strive to improve and do better. Cups are special and they bring a great feeling to both, the squad and the fans. We already saw the happiness after beating West Ham United in the Carabao Cup and being ‘giant-killers’ brought lots of positivity to the group and now we have another opportunity to do that against Leicester City in Round Five.
“All the substitutes did an excellent job, tonight. We had to wait and carefully decide when we’d use them as it was a longer game than usual. We wanted to use them cleverly and I think all those who came off the bench impressed and did their jobs brilliantly. Hopefully we can take a lot of fans to Leicester, because it’ll be a great tie. It’s great to have gotten so far in the FA Cup, which is a competition full of tradition. It’s a brilliant cup.
“When Daniel Ayala got sent off away at Bristol City, he was battered like hell throughout the game and when he received his first yellow card. He’s still suffering from a foot problem that he received that day, but hopefully we will be okay over the next few days.
“Aynsley (Pears) did a brilliant job tonight and showed his quality with some great saves. It’s always good to earn a clean-sheet. They’re great confidence boosters for the whole team. I enjoyed our performance, tonight, even though I do believe we should have scored more.”
