I confess that I always get excited at the prospect of a FA Cup tie especially when it is at home against illustrious and famous opponents like Newcastle United. The magpies are going well on all fronts it seems having played Arsenal off the park on Wednesday in the League Cup semi final and they are still in Europe with much to look forward too. The realist in me was telling me that the result today was only going to go one way and Mrs Bazza was concerned that I would pick up some lurgy in a large crowd and I should stay home in the warm and watch my stupid football match on the telly. I tried to explain that there is nothing like the atmosphere of St Andrew’s when it’s full and rocking and besides, going to the match is what being a true blue fan is all about. She, whom I adore, does not have the football gene and no amount of explanation will stop her rolling her eyes, shaking her head and looking at me with abject pity. So it was that she dropped me down to the station for my train.
I had decided that given it was a late kick off that I would travel at my usual time and divert up to Sutton Coldfield to see my disabled cousin. I had one or two birthday presents for her and it seemed an ideal opportunity. I’m always grateful when the trains run on time and the journey up was pretty painless and I alighted at Butlers Lane as expected just after 1.15. Janet, my cousin was in good fettle. Living on her own it means a lot to her to have a visit. I spent a couple of hours with her, grabbed a sandwich and headed back to New Street to get the shuttle bus at Smallbrook Queensway. I cannot overstate how much easier that facility has made getting to the ground.
Although Newcastle are in decent form. We are also having a good season; top of League 1 with games in hand, in the semi final of the Vertu Cup having beaten Stevenage on Tuesday and still in the FA Cup, at least for now, so I’m sure that the Magpies are going to take us seriously. I don’t want to sound pessimistic but whatever side Eddie Howe puts out, it’s likely to be too strong for us but we’ll see I guess. I went To Stevenage on Tuesday night. Broadhall Way is a nice little ground but I think we may have had more fans in the ground than they did. It wasn’t a bad game but it isn’t one that will linger long in the memory. However, Jay Stansfield’s finish was sublime and coming late it meant we didn’t have to go through the lottery of penalties which is where Stevenage were hoping. I’ve just heard that we have Bradford City at home. We cannot afford complacency and still have to beat them. They will put their all into that game so it will be a tough match.
Now to this match. It was televised and those that watched do not need me to tell them what a cracking cup tie this was. The atmosphere was raucous, loud with an intense crackle of excitement in the cold evening air. Blues got off to the best possible start forcing a corner in the first minute. This set piece taken by Kieran Dowell to the far post where Keshi Anderson was waiting to head the ball back into the six yard where Ethan Laird hit it first time. The ball took a deflection off a defender and into the roof of the net. The already primed home crowd erupted with a roar that would have been heard up in town! The first 20 minutes Blues were undoubtedly on the front foot and the Magpies were rattled. Gradually, Newcastle started to recover their composure and began to play their quick, slick passing and as the pressure built it became obvious they weren’t going to allow us to continue to lead without a fight.
Then we come to the controversial moment of the game when Newcastle equalised. Callum Wilson got behind our back line down the right and flashed a cross through our six yard box where Osula flicked it off to Joe Willock whose first time drive was parried out by Bailey Peacock-Farrell. The rebound was blazed over the bar for a goal kick; but no, after a pause the referee awarded a goal. We all thought that his buzzer watch had gone off but apparently this technology was not available for the FA Cup and it was the linesman’s decision. Now I have watched the footage of the incident from a number of angles and there is no way I can convince myself that the ball was fully over the line and this was the view of Gary Lineker and the Match of the Day team at half time. The footage looking across toward the Kop which has the assistant referee in shot shows him giving the goal instantly so he must have been 100% sure when thousands weren’t and subsequent video evidence fails to absolutely establish the award of a goal. On this basis the goal cannot be given. Unfortunately it was and it turned the tide of the game when five minutes later from a similar move a cross, scrambled efforts to clear resulted in Callum Wilson reacting quickest to score from close range.
Blues responded well and continued to take the game to Newcastle and Blues should have equalised when Keshi Anderson put in a perfect cross onto the head of Jay Stansfield six yards out. The header went just the wrong side of the near post. However parity was restored not long after with what has to be the goal of the round five minutes before the break. A cross from the left was headed clear from Matt Targett but as the ball bounced outside the area the defenders failed to follow it up and they were to pay for this lapse as Iwata ran onto the ball rolling towards him to meet it with a fierce drive from 20 yards which screamed into the top corner giving Nick Pope, in goal, no chance. Thunderous applause greeted the players at half-time.
The second half continued end to end with good pressing and basic defending on both sides as chances for either side were few and far between. In the final fifteen minutes however, Newcastle began to turn the screw as they applied increasing amounts of pressure and as the clock ticked into the eighties Joe Willock settled the game with the winning goal eight minutes from time when after an initial Shot was blocked by Sean Longstaff, Joe Willock stepped up to fire in from ten yards from the inside right berth. Blues gave it a good go to get a third themselves with Christoph Klarer and Alfie May both going close. Jacob Murphy should have made 4-2 right at the death when clean through and round the keeper his shot was blocked on the line by Ben Davies. A further ovation at the full time whistle; a fantastic match and an excellent performance from Blues even in defeat. In truth the correct team won; Newcastle were the better side over the whole piece but I am immensely proud of my team after this.
After the match I headed for the shuttle bus back to New Street. It took forever through the traffic and I was concerned that I might miss the 21.03, my last chance to get home without serious consequences. It arrived with time to spare having fought through the heavy traffic and I went off for my train. Just as I arrived the train was cancelled! Technical issues with the train and crew shortages. Like many, I am sick and tired of hearing bulls**t excuses for poor service for which the rail franchises are charging top dollar for. I jumped on the next available train to London which was a slow one to Euston. I then caught the tube to Waterloo believing I had enough time to get the 00.14 to Farnborough. That was until the tube train was terminated abruptly at Charing Cross because of a ‘fire hazard’ A quick switch to the Bakerloo line got me to Waterloo just in time to be too late to catch my train! The next one was 01.05 which the was held at Woking for ten minutes which turned into thirty-five. By the time I got to Farnborough, picked up a taxi home it was after 3 a.m.
The Good: A wonderful cup tie with arguably the best goal of the round and candidate for goal of the season. The only goal to better that in my lifetime was Barry Bridges in the 5th Round replay against Arsenal in 1968. The atmosphere at St Andrew’s was incredible and the support from the home faithful unwavering even when Blues trailed.
The Bad: The public transportation in this bloody country. It is outrageous and these examples of appalling service are becoming commonplace. I am becoming deterred from coming to games in the evenings because of the unreliability of travel home. I understand that Will also had a harrowing trip back with little Will. The M25 exit was closed. I also experienced this getting back from Stevenage on Tuesday.
The Ugly: The nasty knee injury with horrible laceration sustained by Marc Leonard.
Birmingham City: Bailey Peacock-Farrell 7, Ethan Laird 7, Christoph Klarer 7 Alex Cochrane 6, Ben Davies 7, Kieran Dowell 7 Marc Leonard 7 (Willum Willumsson 62, 7) Tomoki Iwata 8 (Grant Hanley 84, N/A) Scott Wright (Krystian Bielik 76, 7) Kieran Dowell 8, Lyndon Dykes 7 (Alfie May 61, 6) Jay Stansfield 8 (Lyndon Dykes 76, 6) Keshi Anderson 8 (Alfie May 76, 6)
Subs not used: Ryan Allsop, Luke Harris, Lukas Jutkiewicz, Alfons Sampsted.
Goals: Laird 1, Iwata 40.
Yellow cards: Anderson 45+3, Stansfield 66, Klarer 71.
Newcastle United: Nick Pope 9, Tino Livramento 7, Dan Burn 7 (Fabian Schar 55, 7) Matt Targett 7, Bruno Guimaraes 6 (Sandro Tonali 45, 8) Lewis Miley, William Osula 8 (Alexander Isak 104, N/A) Sean Longstaff 7, Joe Willock 9, Callum Wilson 8 (Jacob Murphy 55, 8)
Subs not used: Martin Dubravka, Lewis Hall, John Ruddy, Kieran Trippier, Sean Neave.
Goals: Willock 21, 82, Wilson 26.
Yellow cards: Burn 14, Osula 45+3, Willock 68.
Referee: Matthew Donoghue: 5; I’m going to cut Mr Donoghue some slack here. I think his assistants let him down. The one on the Kop side gave the first Newcastle goal and I think he was influenced by the keeper’s feet being well behind the line but his hands were outstretched and there is little evidence to support the decision. It seriously turned the match. The one on the far side missed two clear offsides which I was in line with which nearly led to goals for Newcastle. Very poor and simply couldn’t keep up with play.
Attendance: 27,994
Bazza KRO
Kev Additional:
I was incredibly proud of the performance. The commitment, effort and a spectacular goal to boot. This squad has come a long way already this season. We now focus on promotion, (and hopefully a Wembley visit too!)
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