Blues' cup double hopes end at Bolton

Birmingham City's hopes of adding the FA Cup to the League Cup have been ended by Bolton Wanderers, who won an eventful quarter-final 3-2 at the Reebok Stadium on 12 March.

Bolton had to take the lead three times before they finally got the better of a Birmingham side badly hit by injuries.

Stretched to the limit

Blues were so short of fit players that manager Alex McLeish started 19-year-old Jordon Mutch in central midfield, gave a squad number to 17-year-old defender Alpaslan Öztürk, and was still unable to name a full bench of seven substitutes.

Johan Elmander gave Bolton the lead after 21 minutes, and within the next ten minutes Birmingham lost Barry Ferguson and Martin Jiránek to injury. Blues fought back twice to draw level, but each time Bolton restored their lead, and the home side held on.

After Wembley

The defeat comes just two weeks after Birmingham's famous League Cup final win over Arsenal at Wembley, when Obafemi Martins scored a late winner to give the club its first major trophy since 1963.

That win earned Birmingham a place in next season's Europa League, and supporters had begun to dream of a cup double and a second trip to Wembley.

The real priority

With the FA Cup run over, Blues can now concentrate fully on the fight to stay in the Premier League. The team are in the bottom half of the table and only a few points clear of the relegation zone, and the injuries that hampered them at Bolton are a growing concern.

McLeish has insisted that avoiding relegation is the club's top priority. A heavy fixture schedule, caused partly by the cup runs, has taken its toll on the squad.

A proud cup season

Despite the disappointment, the season has already been one of the most successful in the club's history. As well as winning the League Cup, Blues reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the second year running, beating Millwall and others on the way.

Their League Cup run included a dramatic win over their local rivals Aston Villa at St Andrew's in the quarter-finals, a result that delighted Blues supporters.

Bolton's reward

Bolton, managed by Owen Coyle, go through to the semi-finals at Wembley, where they will face Stoke City. The other semi-final will be between Manchester City and Manchester United.

What next

Getting injured players back will be vital, and McLeish will be hoping that the spirit shown at Wembley and in this cup run can carry the team to safety.