SkyBet EFL Championship
at St. Andrew's Stadium
Birmingham City (1) 3
Connor Mahoney 43,
Lukas Jutkiewicz 80,
Che Adams 84
Connor Mahoney 43,
Lukas Jutkiewicz 80,
Che Adams 84
Sheffield Wednesday (1) 1
Steven Fletcher 19
Steven Fletcher 19
Attendance: 23,659 (inc. 2,764 away fans)
THE66POW point & hope photo gallery, click HERE
THE66POW point & hope photo gallery, click HERE
Blues went into today's game on the crest of a ten (league) game unbeaten wave of form, where they've just chalked up three wins in a row, in their most recent outings (while also drawing 1-1 with Mansfield Town, in a behind closed doors friendly, on the weekend of the recent international break). While the Owls arrived at St. Andrew's looking to reverse the trend of the two back to back Championship defeats that they've suffered in recent weeks.
But despite being in the ascendancy during the first half, Wednesday demonstrated that their own inability to push on and make good their advantage and build on their momentum, when they're on a roll; is proving to be costly, and they contribute in no small way, to their own downfall.
But, of course, they aren't the first team and probably won't be the last, who've found Birmingham City difficult to overcome in the final third this season, as Garry Monk's well prepared game-plan suffocated the life out of another opposition sides creative aspirations, while his own team are applying relentless effort, combined with a new found ruthlessness in front of goal.
It's taken a relatively short time create the template that is garnering so much success, whereby any number of teams seem to be doing alright against Blues, judging by the OPTA stats from games; but those coefficients don't cater for the ground covered and the work put in off the ball, nor do they account for Birmingham's well drilled tenacity, pressing, and ability to take advantage of any lull in application or drop in tempo by the other side. And it's a system that can be fine tuned and tweaked to overcome any problem areas at source, without deviating too far from the blueprint.
A case in point today being: when Wednesday were singling Jota out for attention in an attempt to thwart Blues danger on the right, while pushing Liam Palmer forward on their own right flank to good effect, a switch was made, whereby Wes Harding came on to play on the left hand side of defence, while Kristian Pedersen was pushed further forward on the left, thus sharing Jota's responsibilities and giving Blues attack more width, while also keeping Palmer busy monitoring Pedersen's movement (and vice versa), while Harding covered defensive duties in a like for like switch.
Another example of the system being implemented without the need to alter things drastically, was when Marc Roberts came on in place of the injured Harlee Dean, a player who has been pivotal to Blues recent run of results and slotted in seamlessly to the formation that is reaping dividends.
It also helped Blues cause, when Liam Palmer missed a complete sitter to make it 0-2, from just a few yards out; but Monk's side have had plenty of the other sort of luck this season, so Que Sera!
These things even themselves out over the course of a season etc. etc. and so on and so forth.
From the outset, it was fairly obvious that the Wednesday defence wouldn't be taking any prisoners, as they kept their hosts at bay with some strong arm stuff, that took Monk's side a while to get used to and overcome. Evidently, the Owls scouting system had been scrutinising Birmingham and they defended well against a string of free kicks and corners into their midriff, the majority of which were delivered into the mix by Jota.
It was the visitors who had the better of the first half, with a certain Barry Bannon, whose every touch was met with a chorus of "You dirty Villa bastard" from the home crowd, while he wound them up with his presence even more, by pulling the strings in midfield and looking far more of a class act than he ever did before he stopped plying his trade for the Villa Park club, five years ago. Wednesday had the better of the opening forty five minutes, with Bannon orchestrating much of what they were doing right, even though a combination of Gary Gardner and Maikel Kieftenbeld kept him relatively quiet after the interval, to the point that he visibly showed his frustration towards the end of the game, which clearly amused the St. Andrew's faithful.
But, of course, they aren't the first team and probably won't be the last, who've found Birmingham City difficult to overcome in the final third this season, as Garry Monk's well prepared game-plan suffocated the life out of another opposition sides creative aspirations, while his own team are applying relentless effort, combined with a new found ruthlessness in front of goal.
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| Oi you! It's Mansfield T-O-W-N not O-W-L-S you silly sausage |
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| 2,764 away fans |
It also helped Blues cause, when Liam Palmer missed a complete sitter to make it 0-2, from just a few yards out; but Monk's side have had plenty of the other sort of luck this season, so Que Sera!
These things even themselves out over the course of a season etc. etc. and so on and so forth.
Wednesday took the lead in the nineteenth minute, when Blues struggled to deal with a Bannon corner and the ball fell nicely for Steven Fletcher ten yards out who spank the ball past Lee Camp.
To be fair to the Owls, they had already looked like taking the lead and the opening goal was hardly unexpected. Inside the opening two minutes, Bannan had released Fletcher through the right hand side of midfield and he beat Camp with a stinging thirty yard effort that crashed back off of the woodwork.
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| Jesus wept! Check out the boobs on her... oh, hang on! |
Palmer had two chances to increase the visitors lead, pinging one just past the left hand upright after a powerful run forward and missing one that to all intents and purposes looked as if it must have ended up behind the goal, because it had gone through a gap in the netting... but it hadn't done, it was a shocker of a miss!
With the clock ticking down towards half time rapidly, I suspect that most Blues followers would've been content, if their side could keep the score down to 0-1, then regroup during the interval, because, if truth be told, Wednesday could've been several goals in front by now, by the current Birmingham side are in their element when they're up against it and Gary Gardner was unlucky to see his strike from twenty yards tipped over by Cameron Dawson.
But, completely against the run of play, Connor Mahoney, starting in place of the injured Jacques Maghoma, himself a former Wednesday player, cut inside from the left flank and curled a beauty of a shot into the top right hand corner of the net.
Hopefully the numerous people who'd already abandoned the first half and gone under the stand for a half time slash, or some respite from the pissing rain, saw that strike, on the monitor screens in there.
If not, check it out on TV tonight, when it wins goal of the week and hang on for a few more minutes next week.
Pedersen is growing in stature, with every game that he plays for Monk's Blues and that was demonstrated again in the second half, along with his versatility. I've even heard said, that if Birmingham do get a points deduction by way of a penalty for signing him while under a transfer embargo (by the way that's a definite 'if' (not when), only two letters, but a word with massive commutations), then Pedersen's capture will have been worth whatever aggro accompanies his arrival in the Parish of St. Andrew's.
Joey Pelupessy went close to restoring Wednesday's lead, as both sides had several chances, but two quickfire goals, saw Birmingham conduct a smash and grab raid to clinch... nee, virtually steal, all three points from under the noses of Jos Luhukay's spirited team.
As the words to the club anthem say: "Keep right on to the end of the road!", and that is exactly what Blues did, finding an extra reserve tank of fighting spirit, on a wet, cold and bloody miserable afternoon weather-wise, to send their fans home with a warming glow; when the man of the moment and in form striker Lukas Jutkiewicz, hung in the air to power home a header from Jota's right wing delivery, four minutes before Pedersen slipped the ball through to Che Adams, who diverted it past Dawson.
Birmingham had dug in and ground out yet another impressive result, while the noisy away support, trudged off home justifiably disappointed. Fortune smiled on the hosts today, but you don't go unbeaten for eleven games in a row, and win four on the bounce, by virtue of luck alone.
FT: Birmingham City 3 v Sheffield Wednesday 1
After the game, Jos Luhukay conceded that Birmingham had deserved to win; while Garry Monk said that the visitors were unlucky and could've been three goals to the good before half time.
Either way, City now have a tricky looking obstacle awaiting them at Pride Park next week, in the shape of play off hopefuls Derby County, who are now actually now only two points ahead of the resurgent Blues.
Meanwhile in South Yorkshire, the Owls will be looking to knock the high flying Canaries off of their perch (sorry, the ornithologist puns write themselves sometimes), when Norwich City visit Hillsborough.
