Well I have only just finished watching as Thursday is a very busy evening for us as a family, so thanks to Sky + I was able to sit down with my lads and watch as if live.
Not for the first time this season we conceded early in a game from a defensive mistake. I was singing the praises of the defence on Sunday, but early on we looked a bit unsure. However, not for the first time this season, we began to get into the game. We started to play the ball around and Brugge clearly didn’t know how to handle Zigic, and he had a great chance to score from a header.
We created a couple of half chances before fantastic work by Wade Elliott who’s cross was put in by David Murphy. The rest of the half, we were definitely the better side and could have been ahead by the break.
The 2nd half started, as to be expected, with more play by Brugge. We seemed to have real difficulty holding the ball – but once again as the half went on the stronger we got.
I expected Zigic to get subbed, he is clearly not match fit yet, although it’s great to see him getting playing time – but it was a really positive decision by Hughton bringing Wood and King on. At first they looked off the pace, but then they started to work the ball and we looked more and more likely to score. However on about 80 minutes, Ibenez suffered a terrible head injury going for a defensive header. A Brugge player who was going for ball, headed him straight in the head. It was clearly an accident, but Pablo went down like a sack of spuds clearly knocked out. It took an age to safely take him off the pitch, resulting in 10 minutes of added on time.
As we approached the 100th minute, (it won’t be very often I’ll be able to say that!), King got the ball on the right, beat his man and put a cross in that was met by Chris Wood to score the winner! The 8,000 or so Blues fans went ballistic behind the goal, me and my lad leaped up out of our sofa and jumped around the room!!!
This was a superb victory against the group favourites. We are the only English side to ever win there apparently, which shows what a brilliant achievement it was. Obviously we wish Pablo well and we hope that the injury isn’t too serious. Chris Hughton is really beginning to instill positivity into the side. Special big up for his positive substitutions, bringing on two fresh forwards to try and win the game. Not sure McLeish would have done that.
A special word for the travelling Bluenoses, we could hear them all through the game, you were fantastic. I also thought it was brilliant to see the Blues fans clapping with the Brugge fans in the 23rd minute in memory of one of their favourites.
Bazza the Bluenose who writes the View From the South match reports for us, was in Brugge, so you can look forward to a special European VFTS shortly! Actually I received a voice mail from him, and it was clear he was ecstatic, actually it was also clear that he was enjoying himself!
Bring on Brugge at St Andrews!
A moan: there were at least a couple of thousand fans milling around the bars watching in bars in the different square’s of Bruge, yet when you asked the police they said it was a sell out.
Yet there were empty seats in the lower section which they could have sold to us.
Are Club Bruge happy that they missed out on another 100,000 euro’s? Surely not?
To the game first English club to beat Inter Milan at home and now the same for Bruge.
Wood now amongst elite Blues players who have scored double figures by the end of October along with names like Vowden, Latchford, Kinsey etc.
The performance seems to be usual Blues at the moment sluggish start in each half but coming into the game in the later parts of each half, you can’t be at the races for 90 minutes. Slightly better starts would be nice, but i do like strong finishes rather than strong starts.
Again every player contributed and the early striker subs was timed right as Bruge were starting to see too much of the ball.
We could have scored another two but maybe they could have as well, but it was another dogged never say die performance to be proud of and ecstatic about.
Blimey, how good could we be, if Chris had some dough?
Relived Ibanez is alright, it looked bad at the time and useless BBC & Talksport (only radio i could pick up in Belgium / France) never gave us an update as to how he was doing after the game.
The game was another one for Ziggy, Murphy, Elliot and N’daw to get sharper and they all did improve, especially Murphy i thought, Riggers had better watch out!
As a kiwi it makes me very happy – and proud – to see Chris Wood being mentioned in the same breath as greats like Latchford. If he keeps doing this then (unless WBA want him back) Blues may get back up and NZ may get to another World Cup: my antipodean idea of perfection!