Before

It seems like ages since we played and, like you no doubt, I’m raring to go. I’ve just called my local, The Pavilion in Wood Lane W12, and confirmed that they’ll be showing the game. A few minutes ago on Radio 2’s sports bulletin Roy was reiterating how he feels the team have got the mental strength to get through the challenges ahead. I hope so. If Keane says that Bardsley’s a tough player, what the hell must he be like? With Chopra unavailable it’s the perfect platform for debutante striker Prica to make his mark. His goalscoring rate, in Denmark, is very impressive. Birmingham will be no pushovers but I think we’ll edge it and emerge 2-1 winners. With Wigan, Fulham and Boro also playing there are many permutations so let’s hope they go our way.

After

From the kick-off I could never see us losing this. Birmingham had much less to offer than I’d expected and apart from five minutes or so at the beginning of the second-half, when they had to have a go if they were ever going to, they lacked a lot of punch.

I watched the game about half a mile from where Murphy was supposed to be heading a month or so back i.e. Loftus Road and I’m so glad we’ve hung on to him as I’ve always thought he was a battler and he took his goal really well. Yet again Kenwyne was instrumental and his header into the danger zone from a free-kick caught the Birmingham goalie and two defenders at sixes and sevens allowing Daryl to blast it home. I think that Kenwyne was playing too far back in the early stages; shouldn’t others have been supplying the crosses to him rather than the other way round? Birmingham made a rare threat in the 39 th minute when Jerome beat the offside trap and raced towards goal but his shot was weak and Gordon saved. Nos, who the Sky commentator kept calling Nose-worthy, helped to put him off by snapping at his heels.

At half-time things were looking good with Boro beating Wigan and Bolton drawing 0-0 with Fulham. I wanted Fulham to win that one but a draw would do me. The pub was quiet and there were only five or so guys showing interest in the match, one of whom said, “It’s a scrappy game” and it was certainly no classic but I wasn’t bothered.

I wasn’t sorry that Yorke didn’t return for the second-half as he hadn’t impressed me. Too much of his play moved us backwards instead of forwards and I’d much rather see a more positive player like Kavanagh or Wallace get a run out. The man who replaced him, Prica, had the kind of debut he and all of us hoped he’d have and the way he took his goal twenty minutes later indicated that there’s plenty more to come from him. Again Kenwyne played his part, harrying the defenders and causing Ridgewell to make a weak header back to his goalie and Prica nipped in to chip it into the net. When are they going to stop this yellow-card bollocks for celebrating with the fans? Inciting people to run onto the pitch is one thing but a spontaneous hug with the people at the front is what it’s all about, surely? I was at the bar getting a Fosters in when it looked like he’d got a second but it was ruled out for handball. The way he flipped it into the net while lying on the deck was something I don’t think I’d ever seen before.

Bardsley also impressed me and he looked composed at the back while also getting involved in a good number of attacks. Evans is settling down now and is starting to assert his cool head as he did in our great run in the second half of last season. I was getting the jitters during the last ten minutes but that’s just Sunderlanditis and Zarate looked a tasty player when he came on as sub but we defended well and finished up worthy winners.

Other results - Wigan losing and the Bolton v Fulham match ending in a 0-0 draw - put the icing on the cake and now we’re out of the bottom three. We’ve won our last three home league games and the Wigan match on February 9 th is another six-pointer that I think we can win too but before that we’ve got the small matter of Liverpool away this Saturday. They’ve got a lot of great players but all is not well with them and I think we can upset them early on and come away with a result. Anyway, as I’ve always said, fourth off bottom in May will do me and I reckon we can achieve that, at least.

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