View from the South – Birmingham City vs Brentford

Poor Bazza, drove all the way up from the South-East and back for this!

Mid week games always rend to be a bit tricky from down here withwork commitments but I’d managed to arrange an early finish and as had Will who picked me up along with Matt, a colleague and fellow blue nose from work. The weather conditions were awful but we made good time and having called in at the Blues shop so that Matt could pick up his new shirt, we went back to Balsall Heath to The Punjab Paradise Restaurant for a pre-match curry which I have to say I for one was ready for. Fortified by a hot meal we doubled back to St Andrews and found a parking space. It was clear that the crowd was going to be bigger than in previous rounds.

Seven changes had been made to Blues from Saturday with Maik Taylor coming in between the sticks, Carr was at right back, Ridgewell moved into the centre of defence alongside Dann with Parnabyfilling the left back berth which was to make us unbalanced and lopsided especially when he had Bowyeras his support in front. The formation was supposed to be similar to Saturdays but in reality played more like a 4-3-3 with Kevin Phillips attempting to fill the role of Hleb, Gardner, Bowyer and Michel forming the midfield area and Derbyshire and O’Connor were up front.

Blues started brightly enough but this was not to last long. Michel had the first attempt on goal but his low 25-yard drive was a couple of feet off target. A good pass from Craig Gardner’s found Phillips in space but the ball got caught under his foot and Brentford were able to snuff out the danger. Stephen Carr’s persistence won him the ball in the Brentford box and it dropped invitingly into the path of Phillips but his low, first-time shot lacked venom and Richard Lee in the Bees’ goal saved comfortably. The keeper blocked a powerful drive from Stuart Parnaby at close range on 25 minutes after he had got on the end of a cross from O’Connor.

Brentford didn’t offer much threat but did retaliate just after forcing Taylor into a smart save round the post from Myles Weston’s left-footed effort after he had outpaced Scott Dann. Blues best chance of the half came near the break when Gardner created an opening for Matt Derbyshire. Inexplicably, instead of shooting himself, he chose to try to find O’Connor whose air shot saw the ball go harmlessly across the six yard box rather than into the net. Overall, the play despite these incidents made dishwater look positively effervescent. I had more fun waiting in the queue for the toilet and washing my hands in the usual freezing cold water at half-time. When I got back to my seat, I heard Ian, a mate who sits directly behind me, say just as the second half kicked off, ‘I enjoyed that last 15 minutes!’

The opening salvo of the half saw Lee get his body behind a 30-yard drive from Gardner but that was about as good as it got for Blues. Brentford were growing in confidence and Blues were very lucky not to go behind Ridgewell kneed a menacing cross over his own bar from Charlie MacDonald. The only worthwhile contribution that Michel made came from the resulting corner when he cleared a volley from Michael Spillane off the line. You could sense that a goal was coming and not for us as the League 1 side started to take more and more control.

McLeishmade his first change after 63 minutes withO’Connor replaced by Nathan Redmond to rapturous applause. O’Connor had been awful all evening and the only frustration is that it didn’t happen earlier. The youngster made an instant impact with his beautiful first-time pass picking out the run of Lee Bowyerwho was having another mare. He dragged his shot just past the post when last season there is no doubt he would have scored. Immediately after Redmond nutmegged his full back and ran at the Bees’ defence. They immediately doubled up on him after this and this is something he will have to cope with. He is the best prospect I have seen since the great Trevor Francis. If he ends up half as good he will be a very fine player.

However, almost inevitably, Sam Wood gave Brentforda deserved lead. A misplaced pass by Michel (another one who was poor all night) lead to a mistake by Carr which allowed Weston the opportunity to cross and the ball was headed back by MacDonald to Wood, who made no mistake with his 15-yard drive. Nice finish and no one in the ground could honestly argue that on the second half performance, Brentford richly merited.

McLeish brought on Nikola Zigic for the ineffective Derbyshire in an attempt to rescue the tie. Lee kept the Bees ahead by making a finger-tip save to turn aside Gardner’s curling effort from the edge of the box but Blues were second best in almost every aspect of the game. Brentford were winning every header in midfield and most of the knock downs and I had the feeling we wouldn’t score if we played until midnight.

The woodwork rescued Blues when Woodman’s drive hit the top of the bar but in fairness Taylor was across there and probably would have saved. Zigicshould have leveled but he headed over from Carr’s cross when in good position. The kitchen sink was going in but from far too deep and the writing looked on the wall. The crowd was beginning to disperse when the little maestro himself popped up with an undeserved equalizer in injury-time. Phillips rescued Blues from close range after being teed up by Ridgewell, in my opinion Blues best player on the night. It was a frantic scramble leading up to the pass which found the little fox in the box six yards out. He made no mistake; in the words of Mr Punch ‘that’s the way to do it!’

Blues tried to take advantage of their reprieve in extra-time and Lee made a fine save to keep out Zigic’s header from Bowyer’scentre. Phillips was then only inches wide witha 20-yard drive, before Gardner was just wide with a low free-kick in the last minute. Barry Ferguson was drafted in for extra time in place of Michel who incidentally won the man of the match award! Really? Whoever, voted was watching a different game to me! Michel can pick a nice pass but then he is static; there is no movement or dynamism and he can get wayward if given close attention which is what League 1 players will do of course.

Brentford pressed high up the pitch, they defended in numbers and they worked harder and better than us for much of the game. Man of the match? Nah, not for me. Once Ferguson arrived we were a different team and bossed extra time. Zigic had a glorious chance half way through the first period with a free header that was brilliantly saved by Lee. This was a pity because it would have spared us all penalties. Brentford nearly did this themselves when they were awarded an indirect free kick for a pass back that Maik Taylor collected from Parnaby.

This breathtaking lapse of concentration was not punished with only a minute to go and penalties it was.

For what it’s worth this is what happened:

1-0 – Kevin Phillips
1-1 – Kevin O’Connor – Taylor got his hand to it but couldn’t prevent it netting.
2-1 – Craig Gardner
2-2 – David Hunt – in off the post.
3-2 – Scott Dann
3-2 Missed! Michael Spillane hit the cross bar
3-2 Missed! – Lee Bowyer fired high over the bar which summed up his night.
3-3 Lewis Grabban – in off the bar.
4-3 Stephen Carr
4-3 – Missed! Craig Woodman; Maik Taylor saved shot virtually straight at him.

Blues had completed the robbery of Brentford’s place in the quarter-finals.

They were brave, combative, hard-working and in extra time apart, the better side. Their large, vocal support have every reason to be proud of their team whose performance defied their present position of 19th in League 1. Blues played like a League 1 side but nowhere near as good!

The Good: The pre-match curry and the company of Will and Matt. Ian also made another comment to the one mentioned earlier that made me smile; ‘If Phillips doesn’t play again this season he will still outscore O’Connor!’
The Bad: Every aspect of our performance especially midfield, we were absolute dross. O’Connor and Bowyer need particular mention; they were rubbish. The ball from Bowyer’s penalty is still being searched for at the back of the Tilton.
The Ugly: The manner of the win; lucky or what?

KRO SOTV
Birmingham City
Maik Taylor 5; Stephen Carr 7, Scott Dann 6, Liam Ridgewell 8; Stuart Parnaby 5, Kevin Phillips 6, Michel 4 (Barry Ferguson 91, 7) Lee Bowyer 4, Gary O’Connor 4 (Nathan Redmond 63, 7) Matt Derbyshire 5 ( Nikola Zigic 77, 7)
Brentford
Richard Lee 8, Kevin O’Connor 6, Craig Woodman 6, Marcus Bean 7, Charlie MacDonald 7 (David Hunt, 101, 6), Myles Weston 7 (Robbie Simpson, 83, 6 ), Michael Spillane 6, Sam Wood 7,  Karleigh Osborne 7, Gary Alexander 6 (Lewis Grabban, 75, 6),  Leon Legge 6.