COVENTRY City under-21s booked their place in the Birmingham Senior Cup semi-finals following a 2-0 victory away at Redditch United.
A goal from a trialist put the young Sky Blues ahead before Jayden Smith doubled City’s lead at the Valley Stadium.
Mark Delaney’s side proved too strong for their Southern League Premier Central opponents.
Coventry spurned a glorious chance to take the lead inside the first five minutes as Reds goalkeeper Ollie Taylor denied a trialist when one-on-one.
Redditch thought they had taken the lead soon after when former Sky Blues youngster George Burroughs turned the ball home at a corner only for the referee to blow for a foul against the home side.
City responded with a couple of chances of their own as a trialist poked a shot wide before Taylor denied Raphael Borges Rodrigues at his near post.
And the home side then cleared a close-range header off the line with Coventry firmly on top in the first half-hour.
United went close at the other end as Tyrell Skeen-Hamilton headed the ball over Sky Blues goalkeeper Cian Tyler only for Jack Burroughs to clear the ball off the line.
However, Coventry eventually broke the deadlock on the stroke of half time as Taylor could only parry Aston Ellard’s initial effort into the path of a trialist who turned the loose ball into the net.
The home side looked to respond early in the second half as Tyler tipped Robbie Bunn’s lobbed effort to safety at full stretch.
City went close to a second goal as Ellard went on a mazy run before forcing Taylor into a smart stop.
And the Sky Blues doubled their lead on 79 minutes as Smith found the net following a well-worked short corner.
Coventry and Racing Club Warwick are the only confirmed semi-finalists with Aston Villa to play Burton Albion and Tamworth to play Solihull Moors in the other quarter-finals.
