Callum Wilson and Nathan Collins lead Brentford to Carabao Cup rout
By Carl Markham, Press Association
Callum Wilson scored just six minutes into his full debut, and captain Nathan Collins converted two headers as Brentford routed Championship side Birmingham 6-1.
The 34-year-old Wilson, who joined on a free transfer from relegated West Ham, seized his first opportunity with a crisp finish which took a deflection off defender Dael Fry, who had a debut to forget.
Brentford’s Premier League quality was evident throughout and although Blues equalised through Demarai Gray just before the half-hour they were level for just seven minutes.
Lax defending saw Aaron Hickey and Collins score in quick succession to effectively seal the tie before half-time, with Mikkel Damsgaard getting on the end of a counter-attack to add the fourth.
Igor Thiago’s smart close-range finish sent fans streaming for the exit, missing Collins’ second header.
The Bees, quarter-finalists last season, had not beaten Birmingham in six previous meetings, the last a goalless draw more than five years ago in the Championship before they went on to bigger and better things which their ambitious hosts now hope to emulate.
Birmingham’s priority remains promotion so, after opening with two league draws, boss Chris Davies made six changes, including goalkeeper Ryan Allsop, Fry and Argentinian striker Luis Vazquez.
However, the gulf to a Premier League squad was evident as Keith Andrews retained only three of the team which demolished Tottenham and saw three of his newcomers score and another, Yehor Yarmoliuk, run the midfield before he was forced off with injury.
Davies wants to meet the club’s aspirations by playing their way out of the Championship but it proved their undoing before they had even had chance to get a foothold in the game as they fell foul of Brentford’s high press at a short goal-kick.
Paik Seung-ho was slow to react to the loose ball and Yarmoliuk played in Wilson to fire home first-time from the edge of the area with the aid of a deflection.
But a miscontrol by Jannik Schuster saw the centre-back booked for bringing down Vazquez and from Paik’s short free-kick Gray drilled a deflected shot through a crowd of players.
It was a brief moment of joy in an otherwise chastening night as a failure to deal with Vitaly Janelt’s chip and Wilson’s strength allowed Hickey to fire home an angled shot.
Collins jumped in front of Fry to nod in a simple header from Jaidon Anthony’s cross but a ruthless Brentford went for the kill and, after bringing on the likes of Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade and Mamadou Sangare, scored three more after the break.
