I found myself with six tickets for the Cup game which I obtained for Will, Chris, Jack, yours truly and the two little lads, little Will and Seb. I was having second thoughts about the purchase when I reflected on the lamentable performance against Preston last week. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this game since Ewood Park is not a happy hunting ground for us. We generally get beat there but in the Cup you never know. The last time I went there was circa 1968 when Fred Pickering bagged a brace to pull us back from 2-0 down. Sadly we got done near the end with a third for the hosts and had to go home empty handed. I remember the pea souper fog on the way home and the fact that my Uncle John got lost in the MGB we used to go to matches in. The other thing I remember was feeling like death warmed up the following morning as my world fell repeatedly out of my bottom courtesy of a bad pie purchased at the ground. In fact the sluices were open at both ends coming to think of it so it wasn’t the happiest of trips.
Will picked me up from home at 08.30 and the original plan was to drive up to Coventry, catch the train to New Street and then on to Blackburn but the collective cost of the train tickets was eye watering and Avanti West Coast announced that there were likely to be numerous cancellations due to unseasonably low numbers of staff so we decided to drive all the way. We made good time and picked up Jack and Seb from the Oak and Chris at the Kennel Club just the other side of Stoneleigh where he had been working in the kitchen. It was now 11.00 and we were heading down the A45 to pick up the M6 for the 135 miles further north to our destination.
As alluded to earlier, I wasn’t expecting much from this game given our present form. We have been woefully short of it since the World Cup break and can’t seem to buy a win, keep a clean sheet or score enough goals. The win at home against Reading apart, the only success we’ve had was the Forest Green game and we made a meal of that! Had it not been for a brilliant triple save by Etheridge with the score at 1-1, we probably lose that game as well. As it was we found ourselves in the hat and the Cup is always a great day out and I still love it although the top teams and the FA shamefully no longer take it seriously and the oldest football competition in the world has been badly devalued.
We stopped at the Woodman, a pub about 9 miles outside Blackburn for a bite to eat and a pint. It turned into three given how long we had to wait for our food! We were for the first time in the whole journey tight for time by the time we’d got our meals, devoured them and got back on the road. Will, the designated driver nevertheless found a convenient ‘park for a fiver’ place near the the ground. When we had left the pub a funny thing happened. I suddenly had a elderly brain fart moment and exclaimed; “I’ve lost my glasses!” To which Will said; “you mean the ones you’re wearing!” Oh dear! It’s happening! The piss taking from the rest of the group was unrelenting!
We got into the ground just in time for kick off. We were struggling to get to our seats and wouldn’t you know it, facing away from the pitch there was a roar from our contingent and as I turned I saw our players playing in red celebrating a goal with barely two minutes on the clock. I understand Khadra scored but I had no clue how. (I’ve since watched MotD and a loose pass from a Blackburn midfielder was seized upon by Gary Gardner who slipped the ball to Khadra. His low first time shot from 25 yards into the bottom corner ended up in the net despite Kaminiski’s vain attempt to stop it. He gets a hand to it but it end up high in the net.)
Blues kept up the momentum for the next 15 minutes or so and Khadra could have put us two up only for his goal bound shot through Kaminski’s legs luckily ricocheted off the keepers heel to just divert wide of the far post. Brereton-Diaz had a curving shot well saved by Etheridge but it was Kaminski who was the busier keeper. The Blackburn stopper had to save a bullet header from Jutkiewicz from a great cross from Colin. Blackburn recovered their composure and came more into the game. Unfortunately, on the half hour the pressure was beginning to tell and the hosts equalised through Bradley Dack. There was a touch of good fortune about the goal as after an excellent save from Etheridge from Joe Rankin-Costello’s fierce shot at the near post, the rebound cannoned back off the underside of the bar right into the centre of the six yard box. The Blackburn captain couldn’t miss. Nevertheless, the goal had been coming and it came as no surprise. All square at half time.
Second half started and with only a minute gone, an old problem resurfaced; failure to clear lines. The ball bobbed about on the edge of our area and a speculative shot from Rankin-Costello there swerves into the bottom corner and a game Blackburn had no business winning is 2-1 to them. Within a minute Chong had a glorious chance to level but smashed his fifteen yarder straight at Kaminski. A poor finish in my view. Kaminiski also had to save well from Khadra from an acute angle so it wasn’t as if Birmingham weren’t creating chances. Blackburn started to take control of the tie and apart from the odd free kick or corner to defend they looked to be cruising to victory. John Eustace put on a trio of substitutes just after the hour in an attempt to rescue the tie and I have to say Hannibal, Hogan and the energetic Chang did make a difference but the goal just wouldn’t come. With the noisy, raucous bluenose contingent roaring the men in red on a flowing move down the right ended up at the feet of Hannibal who zipped in a pinpoint pass across the box to the onrushing Jordan James who calmly side footed the ball first time into the bottom corner. Kaminski’s despairing dive could not prevent the ball crossing the line. The away support erupted in an elated roar of relief. Salvation was achieved and Birmingham had their deserved equaliser.
On balance, the result was fair but with a little more fortune Blues could easily have won this game especially in the first half when Blackburn were extremely lucky not to concede at least one more and their equaliser although coming had more than a lucky streak to it. Second half, Blackburn took control of the game but we helped them by gifting them their second. Our defenders have simply got to switch on to danger and clear their lines when the situation demands. It was the same last week against Preston; stop faffing about and hoof it! Out to touch if necessary; my old man who played football at a pretty decent level (I inherited none of his talent) always used to say; “they can’t score if the ball is off the pitch!” The defending right at the start of the second half cost Birmingham the win. This aspect of our play has to improve in the games going forward; clean sheets please Birmingham.
The Good: The equaliser in the last minute! Nothing beats the elation of a goal at the death which either wins a game or prevents a loss.
The Bad: The defending for Blackburn’s second goal, the finish a minute later from Chong.
The Ugly: The racial abuse hurled at Etheridge when we equalised followed by an altercation between the opposing players just before the restart. I have no idea what that was about but there were words exchanged between Hannibal and a couple of Blackburn’s players before some handbags. Sanderson stepped in to defuse the situation and the last two minutes then got played.
Blackburn Rovers: Thomas Kaminski 6, Joe Rankin-Costello 8, Hayden Carter 7, Scott Wharton 6, Harry Pickering 6, John Buckley 6 (Lewis Travis 75, 6) Tyler Morton 6, Ryan Hedges 6 (Tyrhys Dolan 45, 6) Bradley Dack 7 (Sammie Szmodics 87, N/A) Ben Brereton-Diaz 7, Sam Gallagher 6 (Jack Vale 90+3, N/A)
Subs not used: Tayo Edun, Aynsley Pears, Jake Garrett, Ash Phillips, Harry Leonard.
Goals: Dack 32, Rankin-Costello 46.
Birmingham City: Neil Etheridge 7, George Friend 7, Auston Trusty 7, Dion Sanderson 6, Kevin Long 6 (Juninho Bacuna 75, 6) Maxine Colin 7, Gary Gardner 6 (Hannibal Mjebri 64, 7) Krystian Bielik 7 (Alfie Chang 64, 6) Reda Khadra 7 (Scott Hogan 64, 6) Lukas Jutkiewicz 7, Tahith Chong 7.
Subs not used: Jordan Graham, John Ruddy, Nico Gordon, Romelle Donovan.
Goals: Khedra 2, James90+1.
Yellow cards: Chong 40.
Referee: Keith Stroud 7; I thought the referee had a solid game. It has to be said that his assistants missed at least two instances of the ball clearly out over the side line that led to dangerous situations (both in our favour to be fair) I cannot think of any time I disagreed with the referee’s decisions. I also think he handled the little fracas that occurred just after we scored our second well. Etheridge claimed he had been racially abused and the keeper informed the referee. There was a pause in the restart and then players from both sides started to square up to each other. Things seem to have been rapidly defused, the rest of time added on was played with both sides desperately trying to win the tie. 2-2 it finished; go again on Tuesday. In the hat for Round 5.
Couldn’t find your glasses. Ever thought of a career as a referee?
The second goal for Blackburn was a complete joke, but defenders do seem to think they are Messi, when they are actually messy. All told I’d have taken a draw before the game, Blackburn do seem to be a bogey side for us, then again so do 91 others.
Thanks Roy, 91 bogey teams? It does seem like it at the moment I have to agree.