Aston Villa secured their place in the fourth round of the Birmingham Senior Cup with a 3-1 victory over Sutton Coldfield Town, thanks to two injury-time goals. Teddy Rowe scored in the 92nd minute to put the visitors ahead at Coles Lane, and fellow substitute Aidan Borland added another to seal the win. Villa’s Under-21s took the lead in the 55th minute with Rico Richards’ impressive 30-yard strike, but Taylor Carter-Byrne equalized for Town before Villa’s late surge. The Young Lions are aiming to win the cup for the first time since 1985 and dominated the first half, with Richards coming close early on with a long-range effort.
Town goalkeeper Jonathan Brown denied Lamare Bogarde, and Ben Broggio’s volley was also saved. Richards threatened for the visitors, but it remained goalless at halftime. The Villans finally scored 10 minutes into the second half when Richards cut inside and curled a stunning left-footed long-range strike into the top corner. However, the home team equalized in the 74th minute when Carter-Byrne headed in a deep free-kick at the far post. Villa threatened an immediate response when Tommi O’Reilly hit the crossbar from distance. But they had to wait until deep into added time when sub Rowe connected with Jamaldeen Jimoh’s cross to the back post. Sam Proctor saved Villa’s advantage, but Borland scored in the 94th minute, catching Town on the counter-attack and breaking clear to slot home into an empty net, putting the gloss on victory.
