Gareth Ainsworth off to winning start as Shrewsbury edge out Birmingham

Gareth Ainsworth guided Shrewsbury to a 3-2 home win over promotion hopefuls Birmingham in his first match in charge.

The home side took the lead on the half-hour mark when Aaron Pierre drilled the ball in from close range, with the move originating from a set-piece.

Shrewsbury doubled their lead in the 37th minute when Leo Castledine’s deflected shot found John Marquis at the back post for the forward to tap in.

Birmingham pulled one back just before the break through a composed finish from Tomoki Iwata into the bottom corner.

Marquis picked up a long ball and drove towards goal just before the hour mark, laying a pass off to Tom Bloxham, who bundled a finish in from close range to restore the hosts’ two-goal cushion.

Referee Sunny Gill pointed to the spot with under 20 minutes remaining after a handball in the box and Jay Stansfield converted.

Stansfield went close to a second minutes later after some neat build-up play found the forward in the area, but Toby Savin was equal to his effort.