I have a bit of a confession to make. October 1st is my wedding anniversary and Mrs Bazza, my wife of 36 years gave a resigned sigh when I mentioned that Blues were playing on a Tuesday night. She simply doesn’t possess the sports gene let alone the one for football but has known me long enough now to know that despite all her bewilderment that I could possibly want to travel all the way up to Birmingham to watch grown men kicking a pig’s bladder around a meadow it will still happen. I will say that if there had been something that we were going to by way of celebration, I would have cancelled but I would have felt bad if she’d had to attend on her own! ? In fairness we have a mini trip planned soon in lieu so it isn’t all it seems. I did remember the card and the flowers so I hope I’m not considered wholly neglectful. My lady wife has not been feeling 100% the last few days so it was probably just as well.
I decided to combine the trip to the game with a visit to my disabled cousin, Janet who lives in Sutton Coldfield. We had a few bits and pieces for her so it presented an ideal opportunity. I got an early train from Blackwater and was in Reading by 13.00 for my connection to New Street. The trains were on time and things were going to plan. At New Street I jumped on to the Lichfield train for the stopper through enemy territory to Butlers Lane before the short walk to Janet’s.
I spent a couple of hours with her and around 17.15 it was time to head back to New Street where I was hoping to pick up the new bus shuttle service down to the ground. I was going to meet up with Chris, Will and the gang at the fan park, get some food and a beer and head on into the stadium.
Six wins on the spin and top of the league was adding pressure. Whilst a good thing, I was hoping that Blues wouldn’t do what they did on Saturday and gift the opposition a two goal lead before waking up and turning things around. It’s years since we cam back from 0-2 to win but it’s not a experience we want to have to repeat. It was a grey overcast Autumnal day and there were intermittent showers on the journey up.
Huddersfield, after a bright start to life in League 1 winning four of their first five games including impressive away wins against Peterborough and Bolton then hit a slump in form losing the last three against Northampton, Blackpool and Reading which has seen them fall from third to their present tenth in the table. They aren’t to be taken lightly and have a capable striker in the form of Josh Koroma who has four goals to his name already this season and will need to be watched. The Terriers have had key strategic injuries to their first choice goalkeeper, Lee Nicholls and centre back, Michal Helik which appear to be long term. This may explain their recent loss of consistency.
After visiting my relative I headed back to New Street and sought out the NS7 bus stop on Smallbrook Queensway. I was just in time for the first bus that arrived just after six and having piled on out of the soft rain which was getting heavier we were taken down to the ground and dropped off just by St Andrew’s school so after a short walk it was into the Fan Park where the DJ was already cranking up the vibe and there was an excellent chicken curry and rice bowl with naan bread and yoghurt at Ranv’s Rasoi which I can thoroughly recommend. Generous portion, tasty curry; went down a treat and with a couple of pints of Neck Oil I was able to ignore the drizzly rain. I entered the ground just before kick off and joined the others who had arrived by different routes.
Huddersfield got off to a better start as once again we didn’t begin well. I felt they could and probably should have scored in the first minute as following a good move down their left a pass into the inside left position saw Mikel Miller free in the area with time to pick a spot. Fortunately for us, he shot an inch or two wide of the far post. A free kick in a dangerous position was well taken by Antony Evans a few minutes later and Ryan Alsop had to be alert to save. Frankly, this game could have started as badly as against Peterborough but things settled down over 20 minutes and Blues started to find their rhythm. Willumsson was becoming increasingly influential in midfield and following a powerful driving run down the left channel and into the box dinked a lovely ball across to Alfie May whom you felt must score from close range but from barely a couple of yards out managed to virtually clear it over the bar! In fairness, I think the cross was just slightly behind the striker and he just couldn’t conjure up the correct position to divert the ball under the bar instead. Willumsson also tested Jacob Chapman in goal for the Terriers with a fierce free kick that the keeper push over. Keshi Anderson had a good chance blocked just before the interval but the best chance of the half fell to Jay Stansfield who from 12 yards following a cut back from Sampsted shot just the wrong side of the far post to the astonishment of the home crowd who have become accustomed to a more clinical outcome.
The second half commenced with Blues firmly on the front foot. The high possession, high intensity play was starting to take its toll on the visitors who when they did get the ball coughed up possession almost immediately leading to a one way traffic siege on the Tilton goal they were defending. A quick free kick in midfield by Alfons Sampsted into Jay Stansfield in the inside right channel allowed the young striker to get free of his marker. Was this the moment that Stansfield would make amends for earlier missed chances? No, he unselfishly spotted that Alfie May was in a better position and squared it cutting out Chapman who had rushed out to block.
A cool low finish giving the defender on the line no chance gave Blues the breakthrough that they never relinquished. Blues by rights should have won this game by more than the solitary goal and would have done had it not been for Chapman saving well from both Emil Hansson and Paik Seung-ho. Jay Stansfield went close again just before getting substituted and Lyndon Dykes was denied his first Blues goal by a last ditch clearance.
The right team won this game but it should have been more emphatic.
The Good: The shuttle bus from New Street. The chicken curry at Ranv’s Rasoi.
The Bad: Some of the finishing tonight. If we had scored four our five it would not have looked out of place as a score line.
The Ugly: The weather conditions; the drizzle made for slick turf which is good but the blustery wind made accurate passing especially mid to longer range tricky. Nevertheless, Blues played some lovely football at times.
Birmingham City: Ryan Alsopp 7, Taylor Gardner-Hickman 6 (Alfons Sampsted 46, 7) Krystian Bielik 7, Christoph Klarer 7, Alex Cochrane 7, Paik Seung-ho 8, Willum Willumsson 8*, Tomoki Iwata 7, Keshi Anderson 6 (Emil Hansson 64, 6) Alfie May 7 (Lyndon Dykes 67, 6) Jay Stansfield 7 (Scott Wright 68, 6)
Subs not used: Ryan Alsop.
Goals: May 63.
Yellow cards: Gardner-Hickman 21, Anderson 59, Bielik 66, Allsopp 89.
Huddersfield Town: Jacob Chapman 7, Lasse Sorensen 6, Tom Lees 7 (Joe Hodge 77, 6) Brodie Spencer 7, Matty Pearson 6, Antony Evans 6, David Kasumu 6 (Jonathan Hogg 77, 6) Bojan Radulovic (Josh Koroma 60, 6) Callum Marshall 6 (Freddie Ladapo 60, 6)
Subs not used: Chris Maxwell, Jaheim Headley, Nigel Lonwijk
Goals: None
Yellow cards: Kasumu 68.
Referee: Ben Toner: 6; I felt the referee was alright but some of the lads especially Will thought that he showed inconsistency with disciplining the players. Alsopp got booked for blatant time wasting but Chapman, earlier on got merely warned and twice at that for the same thing. The criticism is probably fair but overall I felt the referee put in a decent performance.
Attendance: 27,757
Bazza KRO
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