Match Report: Rhythm & Blues numbers silence in form City

[Olé]

After their sensational win at promotion hopefuls Watford on Tuesday, talk amongst long suffering City fans had already turned to the predictability of Wayne Rooney’s struggling Birmingham denying them a fourth straight Championship win - the grim irony of his out of form side being galvanised to stall Liam Manning’s in form team. In a forgettable Friday night at a cold St. Andrew’s they did just that, City for once lacked passing rhythm and finding the Blues lining up in numbers behind the ball to defend a desperate point in a largely one sided game the visitors dominated without end product.

With the games only shot on target and a last minute fright from Ivan Sunjic’s stinging 25 yard drive just past the post, it might be uncharitable to say that Birmingham simply parked the bus - but they sat back at home in a low block determined solely to nullify City in a contest short on goalmouth action or any real quality. Roared on by a capacity away following Manning’s men probed with their usual passing intent to work space for Mark Sykes and Anis Mehmeti down both channels, but too often squandered their final ball and Mehmeti had an off day, putting two early headers well wide.

City started with Nahki Wells restored to the starting line up for the first time after injury as they took the option to rest centre forward Tommy Conway. The Bermudan was involved inside 10 minutes as he sprung clear of a marker in the Blues half and fed Jason KnIght who picked out Sykes run on the right, but his cross was turned behind for a corner. It was all City and minutes later they worked a trademark passing move around the box, weaving from left wing to right wing and then in behind their hosts as Knight teed up Wells whose spinning goalward ball was glanced on and wide by Mehmeti.

The game became increasingly scrappy as Birmingham sought to cancel out City’s play, yet midway through the half resurgent midfielder Joe Williams wriggled smartly away from a crowd of players in midfield and got Sykes on the ball into space on the right and his dangerous centre was met clear in the middle of goal by Mehmeti’s unchecked arrival from the other flank, only for the winger to steer his header over the bar with easily City’s best chance of the game. It proved costly as remarkably it would be nearly an hour before their next and final opportunity in the closing minutes of the match.

Birmingham, to their credit, suffocated City’s play and left them frustrated and increasingly turning over possession simply because of desperate or hurried passes out of play or overhit through balls. That was no more evident than with less than ten minutes left in the half Juninho Bacuna took up the invitation of one such sloppy give away, playing in left back Emmanuel Longelo whose low strike was routinely held down low by Max O’Leary, the games only shot on target. At the other end City broke up play and Knight marauded forward to spring Mehmeti who was too easily bundled off the ball.

That was it, and painfully for spectators it got much worse in the second half - even allowing for the reintroduction of Conway in place of Wells - as Birmingham’s dogged defending cancelled out City’s threat and the hosts grew in confidence to probe in limited numbers themselves, such that for over twenty forgettable minutes of half-hearted second half threat from either side, there wasn’t a chance to speak of. That only arrived after a spate of Blues substitutions - Andi Weimann also on for Mehmeti - as City repeatedly failed to clear their lines and Bacuna found space to drive a low shot wide.

Manning added Sam Bell for Sykes and Matty James for Williams with 15 remaining at a time when Birmingham were actually starting to break on City, who minutes later were indebted to Cam Pring for not one but two desperate full blooded diving tackles in an attacking position on the left as City once again risked a dangerous turnover of possession while high up the pitch and out of position. But there was also finally a chance - Knight lifted a well weighted ball into the six yard box from the right which Weimann skidded just the wrong side of the post in front of massed away supporters.

Approaching the last five minutes Pring’s dangerous cross from the left saw Knight and Bell have shots around the box blocked by resolute Birmingham defending, and the frustration nearly turned to despair as in the final minute City again squandered possession and from a quick succession of Blues breaks, Sunjic took aim from outside the box to slam an unerring low 25 yard effort through a crowd and just the wrong side of the post with home fans thinking it was in. That was it, although deep in injury time City won two corners, Knight’s header blocked and Pring firing wildly into the stand.

Manning has repeatedly preached emotional balance in reacting to results and while it would be easy to be frustrated by a dour goalless draw with struggling Birmingham - for whom fans on all sides at St. Andrews were expecting City to hasten Rooney’s departure - in truth the hosts badly needed a rearguard action in a match that had the feel at times of a cup tie against dogged lower division spoilers. The Blues ground out a deserved point and Manning will focus on an unbeaten run of 10 points from 12 over Christmas - albeit they will want to find their rhythm again on Monday.

O’Leary 6

Tanner 6

Pring 6

Dickie 6

Vyner 6

Williams 7

Gardner-Hickman 5

Knight 6

Sykes 6

Mehmeti 5

Wells 5

 

Conway 5

Weimann 6

Bell 5

James 5

[bcfc01]

Great report and agree with the scores for once.

Glad you mentioned Prings wild hoof into the crowd at the end when we had them penned in, it summed up the night - total lack of quality.