Apologies to Bazza for my tardiness in posting. Been a busy couple of days.
Nellie woke me up just after 7 am with an insistent nudge against my trailing hand which said it was time to get into the day. I relented quickly washing and dressing before venturing out on a pleasant mild morning to the woods and the prospect of a game of ball for Nellie. I passed by a large clump of daffodils which combined with the crocuses which have popped their heads up we’re giving an immense amount of pleasure as they swayed gently in the early morning breeze. We were soon round and back and as Nellie tucked into her breakfast, I ordered my train ticket from Blackwater via Reading, Paddington and Liverpool Street to catch the final train to Norwich. The 10.07 would get me to my destination by 13.45 and I was hoping to hook up with Chris who had a corporate invite to this one.
A week has gone by since our FA Cup tussle with Leeds United. I did go to the game and I have to say that like many I was so proud of the team. I also felt that we were unfortunate not to win, given that we were the better side, so to lose out on penalties was a little hard to bear. It’s ironic that had we prevailed we would have been pitched at home against today’s opponents. Norwich are one of the form sides at present and are in a lowly 17th place in the league purely because of their lamentable form at the start of the season when they couldn’t buy a win especially at home when I believe they lost seven on the bounce if memory serves. All that has changed and in the last 16 games they have amassed 30 points so the task before us was not going to be easy.
Although I narrowly missed my connection at Reading, a fast train to Paddington came in with a couple of minutes and I found myself back on track. (No pun intended!) it was a hop over onto the Elizabeth Line to Liverpool Street and from there the train to Norwich. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to grab a pint with Chris before the game but we said we would try and do so afterwards near the station.
I arrived at Norwich train station at 13.45 and it is about a ten minutes walk to the ground from there. Carrow Road is one of the better grounds in the Championship and I enjoy going there because just outside the South Stand there is a Hog Roast van where they serve a generous quantity of pulled pork with a bit of crackling in a bap. It’s the sort of forage that fortifies the soul and combined with a pint from the bar kiosk next door, I was ready to watch a football match………..
………..and what a match it turned out to be! Blues came flying out of the blocks and within a minute of the start could have scored when a lovely headed flick on by August Priske, making his first start for Blues, was seized upon by Carlos Vicente. His first time effort was well saved by Kovacevic, in goal for the Canaries at the expense of a corner. However, Birmingham did not have to wait long for the lead. This time a pass from Bright Osayi-Samuel to Vicente putting the Spanish winger in behind the Norwich rearguard who were not catching him, at least not legally. The defender, Cordoba wisely accepted he was bested for pace and with a team mate square for the pass, Vicente instead decided to go for goal himself in off the near post for a lovely finish. The away contingent went ballistic and the noise was deafening. Five minutes gone; 1-0. Blues were playing breathtaking football and were cutting through the home side at will. On 13 minutes a cross into the box found Priske ten yards out. He chested it down swivelled and shot in one fluid movement. It deserved a goal but was thwarted by a top class save by Kovacevic.
Blues did not have to wait long for the second and with only a quarter of an hour gone they doubled their lead. Another fabulous ball from Osayi-Samuel, this time into Priske running into the right channel allowed the Dane to put a perfect square ball across to Marvin Ducksch right in front of goal whose composed finish wrong-footed the keeper. Delirium from our lot; the stuff of dreams was this and frankly had it not been for Kovacevic it could easily have been four. He saved again brilliantly from Priske when a blocked shot from Demarai Gray looped up to the forward whose clever header was heading for the top corner. A top class save once again prevented the score increasing in Birmingham’s favour on the half hour. Blues were ripping Norwich apart and the only misgiving was that the game was already put to bed. Football being what it is, it is inevitable that however dominant a team is, the opposition will always get a chance. Sure enough, Norwich conjured a chance out of virtually nothing when Kenny McLean won a header from a routine cross which Mohamed Toure volleyed first time from close range. It was James Beadle’s turn to produce a world class save by palming the high goal bound shot over the bar. It was the home side’s only clear chance of the half and it could have cost dearly just before half time. As it was, despite our continued dominance, the score remained 2-0 at half time.
I thought at half time that Norwich would have to be better than what they showed in the first half. It wasn’t so much that they were poor, they were systematically outplayed but now doubt their coach gave them a rocket during the interval and made adjustments to their line up substituting Maghoma for Gibbs at half time. Whatever it was, a bollocking, change to the personnel or formation or something in the tea urn, it worked. Norwich looked a different outfit and came out firing although I did feel there was a tendency on Blues part to sit back and soak it up. Instead of pressing intensively as we had done in the first half we seemed to invite Norwich onto us and we were fortunate not to concede in the first couple of minutes. First Ben Chrisene fired just over the bar and a minute later James Beadle was called upon to make an excellent double save from Toure’s header and Kellen Fisher’s fierce follow up shot from close range which the keeper saved with his legs for a corner. McConville was next to go close firing just wide but the greatest scare was on 56 minutes when Mohamed Toure smashed an angled shot against the near post. The pressure was building but midway through the half and just when it looked as if Blues had weathered the storm, the home side got their deserved goal. From a corner the ball fell loose to Kenny McLean who smashed a left footed rising shot right into the postage stamp. It was a beauty, I have to say.
Norwich continued to probe but Blues stood resolute. Chances were coming more from range and James Beadle was having one of his best games for Blues. We gained a modicum of control in the game although jeopardy was always there. As the time ran down Blues managed the game towards its conclusion with a combination of slowing the game down, taking their time over free kicks and corners, making use of the corner flag plus one or two other dark arts to eventually run out victorious. Norwich were the better in the second half but over the whole match, I felt the correct side won. Blues tore Norwich apart in the first period and the game by rights should have been over by half time.
The Good: The first half. This was the best 45 minutes of football I’ve seen from us all season by a country mile. Play like this for the rest of the season and a play off place is assured.
The Bad: Allowing the Canaries back into it in the second half. Fortunately, we got away with it.
The Ugly: I honestly can’t think of anything that I would describe as such which is a good thing, no?
Norwich City: Vladan Kovacevic 9, Liam Gibbs 5 (Paris Maghoma HT, 7) Ben Chrisene 7 (Jack Stacey 84, N/A) Ruairi McConville 7, Anis Ben Slimane 7, Ali Ahmed 7 (Tony Springett 90, N/A) Kenny McClean 8, Sam Field 7, Jose Córdoba 6 (Harry Darling 90, N/A) Kellen Fisher 8, Mohamed Toure 8 (Mathias Kvistgaarden 71, 7)
Subs not used: Daniel Grimshaw, Emiliano Marcondes, Jacob Wright, Errol Mundle-Smith.
Goals: McClean 67.
Yellow cards: None.
Birmingham City: James Beadle 9, Kai Wagner 8, Christoph Klarer 8, Jonathan Panzo 8, Bright Osayi-Samuel 8 (Ethan Laird 79, 7) Jhon Solis 8, Tomoki Iwata 7, Demarai Gray 7 (Ibrahim Osman 63, 6) Carlos Vicente 9 (Patrick Roberts 71, 7) Marvin Ducksch 8 (Jay Stansfield 71, 7) Auguste Priske 8 (Tommy Doyle 78, 7)
Subs not used: Ryan Allsop, Phil Neumann, Jack Robinson, Kaya Fujimoto.
Goals: Vicente 5, Ducksch 14.
Yellow cards: Klarer 39.
Referee: Farai Hallam: 7: Norwich fans will probably hate me for this but I thought the referee and his assistants were OK. They contributed to a good game, allowing the game to flow and not constantly stopping play for free kicks. Mr Hallam was not over fussy and certainly wasn’t card happy, giving only one against Klarer in the first half. Phillipe Clement was complaining afterwards about Ducksch’s goal being offside. I was in line with the pass from Priske and in my humble opinion Ducksch came from behind the play and ran on to the cross. It was a lovely flowing move and if there had been VAR chalking it off it would have been a tragedy. I believe as I say it was onside so it would only have spoiled the celebrations by delaying them. As for the penalty appeal by Norwich just after they had scored? I thought Mr Halkam got it right. There was enough doubt at the very least and I can’t help feeling that Toure was looking for it.
Attendance: 26,537
KRO Bazza
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