Saturday 31st August 2019
SkyBet EFL Championship
at St. Andrew's Stadium
Birmingham City (0) 2
Lukas Jutkiewicz 73,
Jude Bellingham 76
Stoke City (0) 1
Liam Lindsay 58
Attendance: 20,652 (inc. 2,026 away fans)
Point & hope photo gallery: click HERE
Lee Camp, Maxime Colin, Harlee Dean (C), Marc Roberts, Kristian Pedersen, Fran Villalba (Dan Crowley 54), David Davis, Ivan Sunjic, Jefferson Montero (Jude Bellingham 29), Alvaro Gimenez, Lukas Jutkiewicz (Gary Gardner 84)
Unused subs - Wes Harding, Craig Gardner, Kerim Mrabti, David Stockdale (GK)
Stoke City:
Adam Federici, Liam Lindsay, Danny Batth (C), Tommy Smith, Stephen Ward (Scott Hogan 79), Peter Etebo, Sam Clucas, Joe Allen, Tom Ince (Mark Duffy 84), James McClean, Lee Gregory (Tyrese Campbell 86)
Unused subs - Bruno Martins Indi, Jordan Cousins, Sam Vokes, Adam Davies (GK)
Cutting straight to the chase: I've seen much better games than the one that I've witnessed at St. Andrew's today.
But football has a knack of still being able to produce moments, of high drama and pure theatre, on even the most nondescript of afternoons... which for much of the opening forty five minutes, is exactly what kind of spectacle had unfolded, in front of the 20,652 fans who'd turned out to watch Blues take on the Championship's bottom club Stoke City.
Up until half time, the most amusement and entertainment on the pitch, had been provided by an urban fox, that had ventured onto the lush green St. Andrew's turf from somewhere within the bowels of the Kop, at approximately ten past two, before swivelling it's hips and outsmarting two stewards with a nifty 'fox in the box' manoeuvre, and vanishing, without a trace, into the Tilton Road End.
Look out for the four legged and bushy tailed omnivorous mammal, at the next home game against Preston North End... it might be a lucky omen.
Just when everyone, myself included, had expected the Potters to park the bus from the outset of the game, and grind out a draw, to double their meagre current points tally, Lee Gregory forced Northern Ireland international Lee Camp into action, but the ever reliable, if occasionally unorthodox keeper, made a great save to keep the visitors recent acquisition from Millwall at bay.
Ivan Sunjic got onto the end of Marc Roberts’ long throw in, but his wayward effort was more problematic for any low flying aircraft in the area than Adam Federici in the visitors goal.
Whilst Peter Etebo missed a sitter from a similar range at the opposite end of the pitch.
Shortly before half time, Liam Lindsay quite blatantly grabbed Alvaro Gimenez by the throat and dragged him off balance inside Stoke's penalty area... and the Spaniard still has the scratches to prove it... but the match referee: James Linington was completely unmoved.
Where's that bloody VAR that they use in the Premier League when you need it?
Tom Ince moved around well with the ball at his feet for the visitors, showing all of the composure of his slightly more famous father in his heyday; but his runs tended to be from one side of the pitch to other, and then back again, which neither helped his own team's attacking aspirations in any way whatsoever, nor enticed Blues to break their shape and give chase.
During Blues opening home fixture of the season v. Bristol City the link up play, interchanging passes, and understanding between Fran Villalba and Dan Crowley, caught the eye and seemed to bode well for the future, but I think it would be fair to say, that this afternoon, with Crowley starting on the bench, a similar arrangement between Villalba and Gimenez, was obviously still a work in progress, as several attempted lay offs between the two of them went astray.
But David Davies was pivotal in the battle for the middle ground and seems to have raised his game no end, now that Pep Clotet has been keeping faith in his abilities. The same can also be said of Marc Roberts, who seems to grow in confidence every week, by virtue of his extended run in the team.
Gregory fired a warning shot across the bows of Camp's goal, that crashed back into play off of the upright, and then, just minutes later, Tommy Smith hooked a free kick into Blues area from out on the right, that took a bounce and sat up invitingly for Lindsay, who threw himself into a gap that had opened up between Camp and Kristian Pederson, to head Stoke in front.
So much for the Potters parking the bus and eking out a goalless draw.
The goal acted as the spark that ignited the hosts winning performance of the game... well that and the introduction of the ever busy Dan Crowley just before the visitors went ahead.
The crowd rose from their seats in anticipation, as Maxime Colin raced towards the right hand edge of the Stoke area, before dispatching a dipping cross towards the back post, because everybody in the ground knew whose name was on that delivery (probably even the Stoke supporters) and sure enough, Luka Jutkiewicz was on hand, right on queue to rise and meet the ball and score with a trademark header downward's header that gave Federici no chance.
1-1, and game on!
Watch out Preston North End, it's set in stone and rapidly becoming the law around these parts, that Jutkiewicz always scores in each and every home game... and you're next on his hit-list.
Sadly for Blues, Jefferson Montero had left the field on a stretcher in the twenty ninth minute, but every cloud has a silver lining, and Pep Clotet had no hesitation about sending the teenager Jude Bellingham on in his place. The youngster, who has already played in two away games at Swansea City and Portsmouth, grew into his home debut once he'd found his feet and as he grew in stature, he felt empowered with self belief as he advanced towards the visitors area and unleashed a shot on the run, that ended up in the bottom right hand corner of the net, via a deflection off of Lindsay's outstretched boot.
Lindsay, was stood in roughly the same spot that he had fouled Gimenez shortly before the interval, when Bellingham's shot glanced off of him, which is a brilliant example of karma doing it's stuff, but that was merely mirth inducing sideshow, compared to the main event. Because at the ripe old age of 16 years and 63 days, Bellingham had just broken Trevor Francis’ forty seven years standing record of being the youngest ever player to score in a Blues first team game.
Federici thwarted late substitute Gary Gardner, in a one against one shoot-out in the final moments of the game as the Blues comfortably held on to the three points, after having made a suspense filled comeback, to overcome the visitors narrow lead.
FT: Birmingham City 2 v Stoke City 1
Birmingham City travel to second placed Charlton Athletic, on the weekend after next Saturday's international break. Their opponents that afternoon, are of course, managed by the former Blues player Lee Bowyer, who led the south London club to promotion via the League One Play Off Final against Sunderland at the end of last season.
Stoke City have a home game against Bristol City the same afternoon... and will be desperately hoping for a change in fortunes.
