Birmingham City 2 Stockport County 0 - (Football League 1)- Wednesday 4 December 2024

County could not reproduce the form that has lifted them into the top echelons of League 1 this season at a wet St Andrews last night where an expensively put together Birmingham City side came away 2-0 winners in an ultimately disappointing match.

In some respects ,it was game of `what if`s` and `might have beens `, the most cogent being - what if the shot from Will Collar, 5 minutes in, had ruffled the back of City`s net instead of crashing into the crossbar before heading downwards and staying in play?

County were looking fairly confident at that stage and for a while after, a situation put into stark relief 21 minutes later when Ben Hinchliffe`s pass out to Ibby Touray was intercepted by City`s Keshi Anderson who teed Alfie May up for a shock opener.

A second followed almost 10 minutes later and by that stage County were a shadow of their earlier selves- Brum feeding on their discomfiture.

A raft of County substitutions at half time produced a livelier approach and a fair amount of pressure on the home back line in the second half , but without ever touching their recent heights .

I could not help but think- “ Just one goal from County would scare this lot s@@@@@@s……but it was not to be despite their best endeavours!

……………………………………………………………

The Flyer got us to St Andrews in good time….time enough to get some food which for me was a Pukka Steak and Ale Pie- a product tougher than the ruggedest defender on show later- its crust defeating the first fork I tried utterly.

The pre-match was saved by seeing County hero from our Championship year in the late sixties- Freddie Goodwin looking as dapper as ever!

There was a terrific atmosphere abroad when the game started- both sets of supporters engaging the other in lively fashion.

Brum were first to show but handball by Jay Stansfield brought their early sortie to an abrupt end via the free kick.

The second attack from City saw Macauley Southam- Hales in action diving to head Alex Cochrane`s cross into Ben Hinchliffe`s hands.

Then just one minute later we had a pivotal moment in the game as County broke down the left where Louie Barry transferred attention to the other flank with a lovely diagonal ball to Collar who bore down on goal thrashing a venomous shot onto the crossbar. The whole goal shook visibly – the net also, but crucially the ball bounced on the line and stayed in play.

Had that gone in…..etc…etc..etc..

But we had to deal in realities, not might have beens, and City`s Paik Sung Ho thought he was about to introduce us to a bit of that, but his run down our right was abruptly cut short by an exhibition of sublime talent allied to amazing speed from Southam- Hales. Ho was sorted, but then ( for the first time) chose to go for some afters carting the Welsh Genius with a crude foul- the ball elsewhere!

Referee Ben Toner saw the foul, gave the free kick , left it at that- and although the free kick won us a corner- we made nothing of that, and Ho had his dividend.

It was 5 minutes before anything of note transpired and it was at County`s end where Collar and Southam- Hales combined their talents for the blues bamboozling Cochrane and Ho sufficiently apparently for Ho to think it appropriate to indulge in more `after`s `this time taking Collar out when the ball had gone.

Again ,we saw no card issued – Mr Toner was to be more proactive later in the game carding Brum miscreants where needed, but for now he had me perplexed!

Birmingham`s frenetic attacking looked not to be making any headway with County who were defending well- Anderson did get a shot in at one point ,but the ball drifted wide .

Then a free kick against County, for an apparent foul by Southam- Hales on Cochrane changed the games drift- Ethan Pye did do well to usher Ho`s shot off the line midst a flurry of attacking from the home side, and the attack seemed to have petered out -and it had, but City were alert and when Hinchliffe opted to throw the ball out to Touray , wide on the left,rather than welly it up the park ,Anderson beat Ibby too it , passing inside to Alfie May who made short work of scoring the game`s first goal.

County had shot themselves in the foot and were 1 down, but still the support from behind our goal was loud!

Play went a touch flat for a time next though ,nothing really of consequence happening- I was suitably lulled into thinking “ if we could just make it to half time with it still 0-1……..”

But again ,reality intruded about the time that County`s midfield went AWOL allowing Brum more time on the ball than is safe to do- the upshot being a swift exchange of passes in the box by Stanstead and Anderson for our hosts, ushering in calamity for County as Alfie May added the required finish doubling City`s advantage from close in.

There were signs in the last 5 minutes that Mr Toner had at last sussed Brum out- Cochrane being booked, May receiving a lecture- both for simulation.

County went close from the free kick- Allsop , the home keeper, doing well to keep them out.

Birmingham pressed in added time, but without ever looking likely to further inconvenience the County back line.

It was still Birmingham 2 County 0 as the teams went in at half time

………………………………………………

Camp, Diamond and Tanto were on for County in place of Bates, Rydel and Norwood when the game re-started.

There was action at both ends – Hinchliffe called on to make an early save as Brum looked for another goal- Tanto unlucky not to get the nod from the Referee , having been hauled to the deck by Chris Klarer in an early run.

You will know that I am easily encouraged ,and so it was as Jack Diamond gave us a glimpse of what he has oft time given us a glimpse of (and no more), cutting inside to test Allsop with a decent shot.

Then we had another pivotal moment , one laden heavily with irony, as Ben Davies leaned on Tanto as he went for Touray`s cross just outside the box. Down went Tanto, and we had a free kick in a very scoreable position except our number 1 set piece taker -Ryan Rydell had been subbed off at half time. Barry took the kick, and it was deflected for a corner , but when Mr Toner saw `something `from this, Brum had a free kick and were saved.

County were trying for sure- Camps just wide a minute later!

But the County effort was having an effect on Brum – Allsop having to take emergency action to get to the ball sliced goalward by Klarer in extremis.

Sadly, all the pressure…the free kicks , the corners were not making an impression on the score- there was plenty of fight from County but not much in the way of quality now where it mattered at the sharp end!

It might have been different had a penalty been awarded when Wootton`s downward header hit Davies` hand in the box- but again the reality was that Mr Toner did not see it as I saw it – end of!

And it was not a case that Brum were now not interested- they certainly were, and Stanstead brought a fine save from Hinchliffe with just over 20 minutes to go – making an even better one to deny an unidentified ( by me) Brum player, tipping the shot over the bar with 15 minutes left.

It was at this point that I found myself thinking “a goal now , would scare Brum s@@@@@@s”

To be fair County tried- a Barry run winning a corner….the resulting mini siege of the home goal ending with a shot from Diamond fizzing past the post.

It was a noble effort but like Barry`s late/ late run, it fizzled out bravely.

So, we lost, teams do, even good one`s, we take it on the chin , re-group and go again.

That means Saturday and the visit of Exeter City.

They`ll need us….be there , make a difference!

Birmingham City line up :- Allsop, Bielik , Klarer, Davies, Cochrane, Iwata, Seung-ho, Anderson ( Laird 83), Willum Willumsson ( Leonard 86), Stansfield (Harris 86), May ( Dykes 61).

Subs not used: Peacock-Farrell, Gardner-Hickman, Jutkiewicz.

Stockport County line up:- Hinchliffe, Connolly, Pye, Touray ( Adaramola 80), Southam-Hales, Norwood (Olaofe 46), Bate Camps 46), Rydel (Diamond 46), Collar, Barry, Wootton.

Subs not used: Addai, Hughes, Bailey.

Attendance: 24 863

hedgegrower

Additional Gallery

1- hedgegrower