A few games have come and gone since my last report including games against Lincoln City and Exeter at home. Normally I would have written something but a combination of life, the universe and a bout of the flu had drained me of time and energy and something had to give. We have also featured on the telly for the tough games against Wrexham and Huddersfield and four points from those matches was very pleasing leaving us sitting pretty at the top of the league with Wycombe still grasping grimly at our coat tails. I still keep waiting for them to falter but all credit to them they keep finding a way with 96th minute winners.
I met a neighbour of mine, Des on the platform at Blackwater and we were discussing how we seem to win but less comfortably than we should. The Huddersfield game was a prime example of that. The anxious ten minutes added on in that game wouldn’t have been so had we taken advantage of some of the opportunities we carved out especially in the first half. Whilst we won well enough in the end and kept another clean sheet it would be nice to bask in the comfortable warm bath of 3-0 going into a period like that.
I was on the much earlier train than usual and found myself along with Des catching the 08.38 to catch the 09.18 from Reading to Coventry. I had arranged for Jack to pick me up and the reason for arriving early was so I could go and visit Chris who is on the physio’s table at the moment having just had two knee replacements. For obvious reasons, he’s not match fit so wouldn’t be joining us for this game. I thought it would be good to drop in on him at Baginton and wish him a hail and hearty hello!
Things went to plan in so far as the trains ran on time, I got a seat and arrived Coventry at 10.27 leaving plenty of time to visit Chris before setting off to St Andrew’s. We made good time. On the way, Jack picked up a mate of his, Can (pronounced g-ian; Can’s family hail from Turkish Cyprus). When we got to Stan’s we headed for the Royal George for a pint. We then went to meet up with Will and little Will who arrived just after 2 pm which gave us the opportunity to grab another sherbet in the Globe and Ball from the self dispensing machines. A steak and ale pie in the ground and we were all set for kick off.
Blues started brightly and were soon on the front foot with Keshi Anderson causing the visitors trouble down the left flank. He was outpacing his defender easily in the early stages and from one of his early crosses Jay Stansfield was just a whisker from a meaningful connection that would have opened the scoring. From a free kick on the other wing, just outside the area, debutant Kieran Dowell nearly surprised Dillon Phillips in the Rotherham goal with a rasping effort which the keeper did well to tip over at the expense of a corner. Cochrane’s whipped cross from this found Dowell again but his shot lacked the power to beat Phillips and the keeper fielded the effort. Keshi Anderson got behind the Millers back line once again and this time sought out Dykes whose effort flew agonisingly wide of the far post. Jay Stansfield was the next to test Phillips who saved well but the rebound to Dykes really should have been dispatched into the net rather than just wide. Having dominated the half Blues nearly conceded when from Dan Gore’s cross, Andre Green’s header was past Allsop and heading in only for Ben Davies to save the day and clear off the line. Blues failed to heed the warning however when two minutes before half time Sam Nombe headed in a another Dan Gore cross from close range. So against the run of play Blues were made to pay for all the missed chances earlier in the half.
Results elsewhere were going against Blues at this point with Wycombe and Wrexham both winning their respective matches. It was imperative therefore that Blues set about salvaging the situation and after starting well again and building pressure a well directed cross from Kieran Dowell was headed down into the six-yard box by Lyndon Dykes where a deft touch by Jay Stansfield beat Phillips to restore parity. Blues tails were up and Stansfield nearly had a second when Scott Wright had burrowed into the box from wide but the effort was easily saved by the keeper. The home faithful were convinced that Blues should have had a penalty when Keshi Anderson was felled by Hakeem Odoffin who had been given a torrid time by the winger all afternoon. Mr Hallam, the referee waved away the home side’s appeals and the game went on with Blues now completely dominant as they sought a second. Taylor Gardner-Hickman and substitute Marc Leonard combined neatly in the box and when Gardner-Hickman received the ball back from his team mate he was tripped by Odoffin whose luck had run out as finally the referee pointed to the spot. Despite Phillips’ efforts to delay the kick for which he received a booking, Jay Stansfield made no mistake from 12 yards. It was then a case of keeping control of the game and seeing it out which they did comfortably enough. Once again, this win could and should have been by a wider margin.
The Good: The response to going behind. Good energy and faster ball movement in the second half got the job done. The universal respect shown to Leo Ross in the 12th minute and I’d like to give a shout out to a classy gesture from the Rotherham fans; the laying of a wreath at the memorial wall.
The Bad: The Keshi Anderson penalty call. Apparently ‘he went down too easily!’ Well maybe so but the challenge was still a foul.
The Ugly: There was a bit of an altercation between Steve Evans, the Millers boss and Chris Davies and then Taylor Gardner-Hickman at the end of the game. Evans was upset about a number of things; the penalty award for the foul on Gardner-Hickman and the length of time the Blues player was down following a challenge in injury time (he had blood flowing from his nose!) Evans was critical of the referee but it was a penalty. Video footage shows that Odoffin catches Gardner-Hickman’s trailing leg. If I’m critical at all of Mr Hallam, the referee, it is that he didn’t award one for the foul on Anderson earlier on.
Birmingham City: Ryan Allsop 7, Taylor Gardner-Hickman 8, Christoph Klarer 7 Alex Cochrane 7, Ben Davies 7, Kieran Dowell 7 (Marc Leonard 61, 6) Ethan Laird 7, Tomoki Iwata 7 (Krystian Bielik 85, N/A) Lyndon Dykes 7 (Alfie May 61, 6) Jay Stansfield 8 (Grant Hanley 85, N/A) Keshi Anderson 8 (Scott Wright 61, 7)
Subs not used: Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Luke Harris.
Goals: Stansfield 54, 81 (pen)
Yellow cards: May 86, Hanley 90+1.
Rotherham United: Dillon Phillips 7, Sean Raggett 6, Hakeem Odoffin 5, Zak Jules 6, Reece James 6, Cameron Humphreys 6, Joe Powell 6, Louie Sibley 6 (Jack Holmes 88, N/A) Mallik Wilks 6 (Dan Gore 28, 7) Sam Nombe 7, Andre Green 6 (Jordan Hugill 81, N/A)
Subs not used: Cameron Dawson, Liam Kelly, Jack Holmes, Ben Hatton.
Goals: Nombe 44.
Yellow cards: Odoffin 39, Humphreys 73, Phillips 80.
Referee: Farai Hallam 5: Many felt that the referee wasn’t very good but I’m going to cut the man in the middle a bit of slack here. This appointment was only Mr Hallam’s 32nd match in the EFL and it cast my mind back to a young Mike Oliver who refereed a game at St Andrew’s against Plymouth a few years ago now and had an absolute mare! This performance was hugely better than that! On the plus side, most of the basic decisions were correct and decisive. On the negative side, I felt the official didn’t sanction the blatant slow play especially from the Rotherham keeper early enough and there were one or two bits of cynical foul play that were worthy of yellow cards. Early intervention would have prevented further misdeeds in the second half or risk second yellow and off!
Attendance: 24,393
Bazza KRO
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