Tomoki Iwata made his Birmingham City debut in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy tie with Walsall.
Tomoki Iwata’s Birmingham City career began with the Bristol Street Motors Trophy on Tuesday night.
Iwata, a four-cap Japanese international, has competed in far more prestigious competitions during his career. Indeed, his first appearance for Celtic last season came in a Champions League group stage match against Feyenoord.
However, like the other 16 summer signings, Iwata was seduced by the proposal. The Blues do not aim to stay in League One for more than a season, so midweek appearances in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy will be a novelty.
Iwata debuted on the same night as Blues’ record signing Jay Stansfield. The 27-year-old, who arrived from Celtic just hours before Stansfield on deadline day, was never going to get much attention.
“With Jay coming in, he’s gone under the radar a little bit, but he’s a good player. He’s been a Celtic player for several years and is a very strong, robust midfielder. “He’s also technically good on the ball,” Blues boss Chris Davies stated.
We saw Iwata’s combativeness in midfield throughout, but we also saw his brilliance in possession once Paik Seung-ho was inserted. Iwata began the game ahead of Marc Leonard, but Paik’s entrance allowed him to move into his usual number six position.
Davies explained: “His role in the early stages was to be a little more advanced because we had Marc Leonard on the pitch, and then it was more about him dropping back into the defensive pivot position with Paik on.” “He can do both, but he’s more of a six.”
Blues camped in Walsall’s half during the final 30 minutes, looking for an equaliser after Charlie Lakin’s opener for the Saddlers. Christoph Klarer provided it from a corner forced by Iwata’s rasping drive, which had to be turned over.
Iwata was involved in the attack that ensued as the Blues sought a victory. He began a counter-attack within his own half with a smart touch wide to Emil Hansson before rushing forward to collect the return pass and setting up Alfie May for a shot, which the striker missed.
He shown quality, if not to the level we had hoped for in a lethargic Blues performance. Now he’ll compete with Leonard on the training pitch in an attempt to pair Paik against Wrexham following the international break.