Sharpe nearly got United off to the best possible start inside six minutes when he latched onto William Burrell’s back pass, but his effort inside the box was well saved by Will O’Sullivan.
Shortly after, Fitzgerald’s strike across goal from a tight angle nearly crept into the bottom corner as United started to find gaps in Birmingham’s defence early on.
Adam Lawrence’s side didn’t take long to make the early control pay, when Fitzgerald’s free-kick from near the corner flag evaded the crowded penalty area to bounce into the back of the net.
After Diego Leon’s effort from close distance was kept out by O’Sullivan, Birmingham drew level with their first attack of the game. Zaid Betteka managed to free himself inside the box before squaring for Da Silva to equalise.
The home side grew into the game after their goal and managed to frustrate United, limiting us to few attacking opportunities. At the other end, Murdock pulled off an excellent diving save to deny Yusuf Ahmed’s right-footed shot from distance.