Birmingham boss Chris Davies was pleased with his side’s professionalism as they won 1-0 at non-league Sutton in the first round of the FA Cup.
Willum Willumson’s first-half goal separated the two sides at Gander Green Lane as the Sky Bet League One leaders progressed.
“We were far superior in the game,” said Davies. “We just couldn’t get that second goal to take that margin away from them.
“It was never going to be straightforward and easy, but we controlled it well.
“We managed to keep them at arm’s length and that was important. I thought we handled the game well.
“It’s a big game when we go to opposition grounds, but I say to the players that it should be no bigger a game for them than it should be for us.
“There’s no excuse, all of our games are big games. We are playing for a massive club and need to be ready all the time.
“It’s been a good start to the season. It’s just a start, but we’ve got good momentum.”
Steve Morison’s side were relegated from the Football League last term and struggled to lay a punch on their opposition.
He said: “It was always going to be a tough ask. We were still in the game right at the end and nearly got that moment.
“It was a tight game. It’s a credit to the players to the fact we just played Birmingham who outspent Manchester City in the transfer window and outspent their league by £20million so to still be in the game at the end is a credit to our players.
“We put a plan in place. We were out to frustrate, we couldn’t go toe to toe with them because we wouldn’t have been able to. There are levels to this game.
“I’m really proud of the players.”
