Championship side Birmingham City were given a scare in their FA Cup third round tie as they needed two second-half goals to come from behind and beat League One strugglers Forest Green.
The breakaway hosts took a 1-0 lead at the break after a superb early strike from Ben Stevenson.
But recalled striker Lukas Jutkiewicz equalized straight after the break.
And new man Kevin Long scored his first goal since Burnley booked their fourth-round tie at Blackburn.
Rovers, bottom of League One, have made five new signings so far in the January window. And, although three of them were cup-tied, they got off to a great start, fueled by Stevenson’s rocket.
The former Wolves and Coventry youngster has scored just once for Forest Green before – in this season’s EFL Trophy at Newport since his arrival from Colchester in the summer of 2021.
But when he got the ball in space, 25 yards out, he delivered a superb right-foot curler into the top right corner for his first goal on the new lawn.
And then the lead would have been doubled, had home captain Bailey Cargill’s shot not been tipped by the recalled Neil Etheridge.
He was one of five changes from Saturday’s 4-2 defeat by Bristol City – the Blues’ fourth league defeat in a row – with on-loan duo Manny Longello and Hannibal Magbury, Wales midfielder Jordan James and veteran striker With Jutkiewicz.
And the Championship side were somewhat quiet, failing to strike before the break. But, after a triple half-time substitution involving Tahit Chong, Alfie Chong and Max Cullen, the visitors suddenly found a changed team.
First top scorer Scott Hogan was only denied a penalty, a full-length save by Lewis Thomas. Then just two minutes later Jutkiewicz drilled a right-footed shot down from the edge of the box for his second goal of the season.
But, just over an hour later, the Blues escaped a double scare in a scintillating flurry when Etheridge twice came to the rescue. First he touched Reagan Hendry’s left-footed shot over the bar before also bravely denying Matty Stevens from the rebound.
Within four minutes, the Blues were in front as Long got his head in the melee of a packed penalty area – and it booked the ex-Burnley man the tempting prospect of a trip to Ewood Park on January 28.
Forest Green boss Ian Birchnall told:
“We were brilliant in the first half and fully deserved to go ahead. But we didn’t get the second goal.
“Then they changed their shape at half-time and it took us 10 minutes to get to grips with it.
“They took their two chances and we didn’t capitalize. And you can’t do that against a side of this level with this quality. It’s that simple.
“We would have loved to make it to the fourth round for the first time. But it was still a good night. The fans were great. It gives us a real boost when they support us like that.”
Birmingham City boss John Eustice told:
“The first half was tough for us. We weren’t aggressive. We weren’t on the front foot. And to be 1-0 down at Forest Green is as tough as it gets.
“But the changes at half-time were positive and worked. The subs made a huge difference. Alfie Chang in particular did really well.
“And what a world-class double save by Neil Etheridge. He didn’t stop talking about it for 20 minutes – and he has every right to be fair.
“The most important thing is that the second half showed that we are together. When you are going through a difficult period, as we are, it is very important to show our character. Let’s hope that now it is one for us. It’s a turning point.”
