Saturday dawned to bright sunshine. This was a a slight surprise as I normally wake up much earlier when it’s twilight. It meant that by the time I was up, washed, dressed and downstairs there wasn’t time to get Nellie, my little Cockerpoo walked in time to be ready to meet Will for the trip to St Andrew’s. She was looking at me imploringly but there was nothing for it; Mrs Bazza was going to have to do the morning run for her.
Earlier this week I noted a belated email from an old friend and fellow bluenose,Tim. I’d missed it because his message had gone to an old email address which Virgin Media had closed down because I had had the temerity and brass neck cheek to change internet provider! After an inconvenient and stressful period trying to get them to communicate (which for a communications company is ironic) they eventually granted me access and I’ve been transferring contacts etc across before the old address dies altogether.
Tim dropped me a line to tell me that due to industrial action, Cross Country weren’t running so going by train was out of the question. Fortunately, I had heard that and I had a lift arranged with Will. Tim also pointed out how exciting it is to be a Blues fan right now and it is! The latest addition to our ranks came in last evening in the form of Lewis Koumas from Liverpool on loan. I am bound to say that I am very excited about him joining because he looks hell of a prospect. The pace and power that has been imported into the squad that laid bare all before them in a record breaking season means you cannot help but be excited. Ten new additions with some still to get up to speed makes for optimism going forward.
Oxford haven’t got off to the greatest start. They are yet to register a win this season and are yet to register a point. Gary Rowett steered them to safety last season but I don’t think he is under any illusions how tough things are going to be. Oxford provided a match at St Andrew’s in the late 1960s which I have no hesitation is the worst game I have ever seen before and since. So bad was it, it is emblazoned on my memory.
It was a bright sunny day, Ron Atkinson was playing for Oxford on the wing! A soulless game was snatched at the death by the Us and for a while afterwards, I stopped going to football, so disillusioned was I with that game. Blues finished fourth from bottom that year avoiding relegation by the skin of our teeth; we were absolutely dire. So all the predictions suggesting a win for Blues always worries me. However, our confidence is high at the moment especially after the epic win at Blackburn last week. Our record at Ewood Park is abysmal and yet despite going behind as always when we go there, we fought back to win it in the 98th minute and it says volumes about this team. Commitment like that will take us long way this season.
We made reasonable time and decided to call in at the Robin Hood Carvery in Hall Green. We enjoyed a pork in ciabatta bap with apple sauce and stuffing with some roast spuds on the side. Washed down with a pint and suitably restored, we made our way to Yardley Wood station to catch the train to Bordesley. We got there twenty minutes before kick off and so we were in good time for kick off. Chris, Jack and Seb were already there.
A packed crowd with an impressive away support away to our left clad in bright yellow made for another afternoon of crackling atmosphere at St Andrew’s. With the formalities of the flame throwers, fireworks and loud rendering of Keep Right On accompaniment to Sir Harry Lauder over, it was onto the business of football and Blues started on the front foot against what were going to be tough, resilient, fit and physical opponents. A typical Gary Rowett team; well organised, solid and energetic, this was clearly not going to be an easy task and they weren’t averse to pressing high and making life difficult for Blues in the the same way that we do to other teams. However, Birmingham should have been ahead in the 11th minutes when Willum Willumsson seized on a mistake in midfield and threaded a perfectly weighted ball through the inside right channel to Kyogo who with his pace was clean through. He was able to take the chance first time with the beautiful weight of the pass and he placed the the ball wide of Cumming’s left foot but sadly wide of his left hand post as well. This was a glorious chance as was a header from four yards out beautifully delivered by Demarai Gray from the left flank. It needed a glance by Kyogo but he got too much on it and over it went! Combined with the chances against Sheffield United, Kyogo could conceivably be leading the scoring charts and well on his way to double figures. I understand that you have to be there to miss them but Kyogo simply must start taking these chances. We are not talking half chances these are gilt-edged and only come along rarely.
As it was we had to wait until the 40th minute for the breakthrough. Ethan Laird combining with Gray down the left got to the byline and cut back to Paik Seung-ho who calmly side footed into the far corner across Cumming. Oxford for their part did have their moments. Cameron Brannagan unleashed a 25 yard shot mid-way through the half which required Ryan Allsop’s full stretch save to his left to palm away. The follow up header was wide and adjudged offside anyway.
Blues did press for a second in the second half but stubborn defence denied them. Bright Osayi-Samuel came closest with a fierce cross-shot from a tight angle which Jamie Cumming did well to push away wide. It remained 1-0 and Blues saw the game out well enough but there was still time for a scare right at the death when substitutes Stan Mills and Mark Harris combined after a fast breakaway for the latter to prod just wide. Blues should have been over the hills and far away by then. A win is a win and Blues won this game comfortably enough and deserved to do so but we really could do without the jeopardy that cost us against Ipswich and could so easily have done so here had Harris’ effort been on target.
The Good: The result and the performance. I thought particularly that Willumsson had his best fame in a Blues shirt for a long time.
The Bad: The finishing from Kyogo in the first half. He is going to score a lot for us this season but he simply has to score when one on one.
The Ugly: In the second half, a bloke in the away end started getting punchy with his own contingent. It then took six of our brave boys in blue to restrain him and remove him from the premises. Stupid, unpleasant to watch and wholly uncalled for.
Birmingham City: Ryan Allsop 7, Bright Osayi-Samuel 7, Christoph Klarer 7, Phil Neumann 7, Ethan Laird 8, Tomoki Iwata 7, Paik Seung-ho 8, Demarai Gray 7 (Keshi Anderson 85, N/A) Willum Willumsson 9, Jay Stansfield 7 (Lyndon Dykes 88, N/A) Kyogo Furuhashi 6 (Tommy Doyle 61, 7)
Subs not used: James Beadle, Krystian Bielik, Marc Leonard, Willum Willumsson, Eiran Cashin.
Goals: Seung-ho 40.
Yellow cards: None
Oxford United: Jamie Cumming 7, Hidde ter Avest 7 (Matt Phillips 76, 7) Brodie Spencer 7, Michal Helik, Sam Long, Leigh, Tyler Goodham 7 (Przemyslaw Piacheta 68, 7) Brian De Keersmaecker 7 (Will Vaulks 76, 6) Cameron Brannagan, Siriki Dembele 7 (Stan Mills 85, N/A) Will Lankshear 6 (Mark Harris 68, 6)
Subs not used: Jack Currie, Elliott Moore, Matt Ingram, Tom Bradshaw.
Goals: None
Yellow cards: None
Referee: Robert Jones 7: Mr Jones had a fine match. It was good to see an official apply the advantage law properly. Interestingly, he didn’t book anybody; he didn’t need to as you always felt that he was in total charge of the game and the players behaved and stayed respectful throughout. The game flowed and there were no contentious incidents. It makes a pleasant change to not be talking about game impacting mistakes. Well done ref!
Attendance: 27,342
Bazza KRO
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