Nellie, my little Cockerpoo nuzzled my hand at about 07.15 and sat patiently looking at me in the gloomy morning light with eyes that said; “What time do you call this?” It was time to get up ablute, dress and get ready for our morning walk. As we step out it was chilly but the Autumn sun burst over the eastern horizon to greet us as we proceeded into the local woods where Nellie loves to chase a ball relentlessly. She was thoroughly done in by the time we returned home and tucked into her bowl of food with relish. I poured coffee for myself and took one up to Mrs Bazza who was still enjoying the warmth of the duvet. I had breakfast, went to the local shop to collect the newspapers and it was soon time to make my way down to Blackwater station. My train was late but not so much as to make me miss my connection at Reading and I was soon on the train to Leamington Spa where I was going to meet Chris for a pint in The Old Library before catching the train to to Moor Street as Bordesley was closed. I normally get a lift with Will but little Will had a match he was playing in and it was likely he would miss kick off so I told him to just concentrate on getting him and little Will there and not worry about me. As fate would have it they didn’t leave Camberley where the game was until 12.40 so it was definitely the right decision. My son Ben was originally going to come with me but he’s been unwell with flu all week and hadn’t really recovered sufficiently.
On the way I had the stress of having to renew my railcard. Problems with Internet connection and bloody password and code recognitions added to the angst but I got there in the end. The Reading train ran to time and Chris and I were sharing a convivial pint just before half past twelve. I missed the game on Tuesday because of taking Mrs Bazza to the physiotherapist and to the pool for hydrotherapy in the afternoon. She is recovering from a knee replacement and sometimes other things are more important. Coupled with the fact that I had an early start and busy day scheduled at work the following day, the stars simply weren’t aligned. I did watch the game on the telly and enjoyed an impressive performance to see off Preston. Equally impressive were today’s opponents the following night when they dispatched Derby 4-1 so they find themselves fifth with us fourth in the table. Two teams clearly in form so it promised to be a tough encounter.
One of my most painful memories was against QPR. It was 1967 or thereabouts when they were top of the old third division and we were riding high in the second. We played them in the League Cup semi final at St Andrew’s in a night match. We took the lead with Barry Bridges scoring early and should have added to the scoreline. However, half time came with a 1-0 lead. We then got ceremoniously thumped by a team containing a young Rodney Marsh who tore us a new one to prevail 4-1. They whacked us 3-1 at Loftus Road in the second leg for a chastening 7-2 aggregate defeat. QPR went on to lift the Cup at Wembley beating Arsenal on a quagmire of a pitch just after the one and only time the horse of the year show was held there! What could possibly go wrong eh? They were also promoted that season and it wasn’t long before they were enjoying top flight football.
We walked down through Digbeth to the ground in plenty of time for kick off. A hot pie to fortify the soul and it was up to our seats. QPR had brought a sizeable, noisy cohort to the game and their team started on the front foot and had the better of it for the first twenty minutes or so. They did threaten from a long throw which was flicked on to Boy Kemper at the far post. Blues were very lucky the the QPR man was unable to connect because we were behind if he had. Other than that the visitors failed to threaten James Beadle’s goal and Blues started to gain control. Jay Stansfield was being a pest to the opposition as usual and won the ball back high up allowing Tomoki Iwata to slide the ball into acres of space in the visitors half. The pacy Liam Millar was on to it in a flash and ran from just inside his own half with defenders in his wake to slot home at the near post past a helpless Pierce Charles in goal for QPR. It was nearly two not long after when Auguste Priske was unlucky to see his volley strike the post. It was thanks to James Beadle that the 1-0 half time lead was preserved when he had to make a smart save from Rayan Kolli’s powerful shot just before the break. It was a warning the the hoops still had plenty to offer to be contemplated over a half time cuppa. This was evident as QPR came out showing intent to get back into the contest. The dangerous Kolli tested Beadle again just after the restart when the big keeper did well to parry the wide man’s cross shot around the post to safety.
Blues continued to press and work hard to retrieve possession when QPR had it and this resulted in another quick and slick passing move which ended in Iwata once again feeding Millar on the left. This time the Canadian slotted the ball smoothly past Charles beyond his left hand to the far post. A beautiful finish and Blues had the match in their pocket or so it seemed. However, the visitors weren’t finished and to my mind Blues lost control of the game for a spell. QPR started to enjoy a lot of possession and Ronnie Edwards could well have reduced the arrears with a fierce low shot towards the far post which Beadle did well to push past for a corner. At the other end, Liam Millar was so close to securing his hat trick with a thunderous volley that Charles saved well. Having given it a good go, Blues managed to wrestle back control from QPR and just as the clock ticked past 90 minutes, substitute, Luis Vasquez got in down the right flank and squared the ball back across the area. The cut back found its way past several players to fellow substitute, Demarai Gray who made no mistake from 15 yards or so caressing the ball high into the far corner without having to break stride. Three-nil and game over.
The Good: Excellent performance and I reckon there is more to come!
The Bad: The loss of control of the game at 2-0. In this division, you cannot afford to switch off.
The Ugly: I suppose the mood of the away fans on the route back to London. I know how that feels when you’ve taken a drubbing. The chant “it’s a long way back to London when you’re s**t!” was funny but a bit cruel.
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Birmingham City: James Beadle 7, Bright Osayi-Samuel 7, Phil Neumann 7 Christoph Klarer 7, Alex Cocrane 7, Tomoki Iwata 8, Jhon Solis 6 (Max Bird 57, 7) Patrick Roberts 7 (Carlos Vincente 57, 6) Jay Stansfield 8, Liam Millar 9 (Demarai Gray 71, 7) Auguste Priske 7 (Luis Vasquez 85, N/A)
Subs not used: Ryan Allsop, Ethan Laird, Dael Fry, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Marvin Ducksch.
Goals: Millar 27, 49, Gray 90+1.
Yellow cards: Solis 23, Klarer 69.
Queens Park Rangers: Pierce Charles 5, Kealey Adamson 6, Jimmy Dunne 6, Jake Clarke-Salter 5 (Jonathan Varane 71, 5) Boy Kemper 6, Ronnie Edwards 5, Glen Kamara 5 (Leon Scarlett 81, N/A) Kwame Poku 5, Harvey Vale 5, Paul Smyth 5 (Koki Saito 81, N/A) Rayan Kolli 6 (Richard Kone 61, 5)
Subs not used: Callum Ward, Liam Morrison, Isak Alemayehu, Nicolas Madsen, Justin Obikwu.
Goals: None
Yellow cards: Vale 44, Kolli 50.
Referee: Thomas Kirk: 4 I thought the man in the middle had a poor game. He was inconsistent in a number of areas. He gave a yellow card to Jhon Solis and then merely lectured a QPR player a few minutes later for an identical infringement. Priske was clearly fouled when clean through in the first half. It was a last man infringement in a goal scoring position so red card and free kick not given. Priske also had a shot charged down and despite the proximity if the defender lifts his arm to block the shot, regardless of whether it is instinctive to protect your face say, it is still a penalty. Fortunately, his poor performance did not impact the result. Blues were the better side and thoroughly deserved to win.
Attendance: 27,688
KRO Bazza
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