Second half substitute Cameron Jerome's clinical brace and a late Garry O'Connor goal maintained Blues' unbeaten pre-season run as they showed true grit to come from two behind to earn a 3-2 victory at MK Dons.
Alex McLeish's men fell behind early doors and the stadiumMK side doubled their lead shortly after the break but Jerome's sharp-shooting double was no less than the visitors deserved for their efforts on a night that also saw James McFadden miss a first half penalty.
The hosts took the lead with just over two minutes on the clock after Luke Chadwick's shot was handled by Craig Gardner inside the area. Jermaine Easter stepped up and tucked the penalty into the bottom right hand corner.
A couple more minutes had gone when Lewis Guy fed a ball through to Sam Baldock, who had timed a run in behind the Blues defence. Baldock took a touch before unleashing a low shot which Ben Foster saved well with his feet.
The visitors were afforded the perfect chance to get back on level terms when Gardner was himself felled, by Adam Chicksen, inside the MK Dons box for a second penalty just seven minutes in. McFadden took responsibility and looked to have curled his spot-kick into the top corner but his left-footed effort thudded back off the post.
Serbian striker Nikola Zigic, playing in a lone frontman role with Gardner supporting in bursts, latched onto a diagonal Stuart Parnaby ball from the right on 13 and brought it down superbly before thumping a stylish half volley that home keeper David Martin really had to keep his eye on to parry away.
With Stephen Carr absent due to a toe injury Parnaby was occupying the right-back berth with David Murphy, an impressive performer in pre-season so far, the full-back on the other side.
But, on 17, it was their more attack-minded team-mate McFadden who once again came close to equalising. He instinctively attempted a looped effort from a central position on the edge of the area and the floated shot had Martin beaten all ends up, but unfortunately drifted four yards wide of the upright.
Karl Robinson's League One side had started well early doors but Blues were starting to impose themselves and look more comfortable in possession.
With 25 gone Easter took advantage of a loose Lee Bowyer pass and burst through centrefield. The MK Dons man went past Scott Dann and into the area but once again Foster was alert to save a low shot from 14 yards.
On 33 McFadden crossed from the left and found Gardner lurking at the back post. The midfield man took a touch and fired a shot into the side netting but had the effort been more accurate it still wouldn't have counted as the referee adjudged the Blues player to have handled the ball.
Two minutes later Parnaby was substituted by Keith Fahey and that meant a shuffling of the pack with the Irishman taking up the unaccustomed position of right-back. A few seconds on Roger Johnson was booked for a foul on Baldock and then Blues launched a counter-attack which saw Bowyer shoot narrowly wide at the back post after Larsson had crossed low and neatly from the right.
The same player, Bowyer, then saw yellow for a challenge on George Baldock before Fahey forced a corner on the right that McFadden swung over and Zigic very nearly squeezed home at the back post. He was left holding his head in disbelief as his effort, on the slide, squirmed wide.
Baldock fired well over Foster's bar with only a couple of minutes to go until the break and his side held onto their slim lead as the official blew his whistle.
Garry O'Connor replaced Zigic at the re-start with Jerome also coming on too, for Bowyer. Liam Ridgewell also took to the field of play, in place of Johnson.
But, after Dann had seen a header tipped over and O'Connor had struck the post following a Larsson corner from left in a bright opening to the second period by Blues, MK Dons broke on the counter and it was one of their half-time subs, Jabo Ibehre who broke clear and slotted a low shot past Foster to make it 2-0 on 48 minutes.
Five minutes later though Blues were back in it when Jerome timed his run to perfection to evade the offside trap and get on the end of a lovely Ferguson pass. The striker was calmness personified as he brought the ball down and curled a shot past Martin's outstretched left arm from 16 yards out on the left of the box.
Spaniards Michel and Enric Valles were introduced to the action before, on 65, 18-year-old Jordon Mutch came on for Gardner, who had run his socks off as always.
Michel's potshot from 20 yards was clung to well by Martin, low down to his right, on 68 as Blues continued to ask questions and push for a leveller.
The arrival of Kevin Phillips, on for McFadden, was greeted by a huge roar from the 1,000 or so visiting supporters and he had just over a quarter of an hour to make his mark.
But it was Jerome, on 78, who equalised for Blues with a stunning strike. MK Dons sub Tom Flanagan looked panicky on the edge of his own area and lost possession and Jerome picked up the ball on the 18-yard line, steadied himself and crashed an unstoppable left-footed shot into the top corner.
And there was more late joy for the visitors late on when Phillips, who had floated into an excellent position on the left, picked up possession and laid a clever ball inside to O'Connor, who darted past his man and into a central position 20 yards out before letting fly with a right-footed piledriver that flew past Martin with the aid of a deflection off Flanagan.
MK Dons: David Martin, Mathias Kouo-Doumbe (Sean O'Hanlon 46 (Tom Flanagan 56)), Jermaine Easter (Jabo Ibehre 46), Sam Baldock (Igor Coronado 46), Lewis Guy (Awadh Ahmed 74), Pele (Mark Carrington 46), Luke Howell (Daniel Powell 46), Peter Leven, Adam Chicksen (Stephen Gleeson 46), Luke Chadwick (Danny Woodards 46), George Baldock (Dean Lewington 46). Unused subs: Stuart Searle, George Williams, Aaron King.
Blues: Ben Foster, David Murphy (Enric Valles 56), Lee Bowyer (Cameron Jerome 46), Seb Larsson, Craig Gardner (Jordon Mutch 65), Roger Johnson (Liam Ridgewell 46), Scott Dann, James McFadden (Kevin Phillips 74), Nikola Zigic (Garry O'Connor 46), Barry Ferguson (Michel 56), Stuart Parnaby (Keith Fahey 35). Unused sub: Maik Taylor
Referee: Andy Woolmer
Goals: Easter (pen 3), Ibehre (48), Jerome (53, 78), O'Connor (88)
Bookings: Johnson (36), Bowyer (39)
Attendance @ stadiumMK: 5,869
Pictures by Roy Smiljanic
