Full Time From St Andrews

FULL TIME FROM ST ANDREWS
Posted on: Sat 23 Aug 2008

BIRMINGHAM CITY 2 (Phillips 13, O'Connor 45)
BARNSLEY 0

BARNSLEY gave it absolutely everything at St Andrews but just could not find a way back into the game as another encouraging performance went unrewarded.

Reds boss Simon Davey was forced into one change with Iain Hume missing the game through suspension although he was boosted by the return of Frenchman Mounir El Hamour, who came straight back in on the left hand side. Jon Macken was left to plough a lone furrow up front alone. Birmingham City striker Kevin Phillips, who snubbed the chance to join Barnsley in the summer, started the game at St Andrews as the Blues went for a fourth straight win at the start of the new campaign. Phillips lined up alongside Scottish pair Garry O'Connor and James McFadden in a three-man City attack. Ex Red David Murphy also started for City at left back.

The Reds looked to get off to a flyer and Brian Howard showed great awareness to send Martin Devaney away with just two minutes on the clock and the winger cut inside before seeing his low shot crash against Martin Taylor. Devaney was in the thick of it again a minute later when he attacked Stuart Parnaby and was sent sprawling right on the edge of the area. Diego Leon curled the free kick just over the bar.

City went an inch away from the opener of three minutes when James McFadden produced a little bit of brilliance on the edge of the area but his dipping shot flew a foot or so wide of Luke Steele's post. The home side went even closer on eight minutes when the Reds struggled to deal with McFadden's right wing corner and Phillips headed just over from Martin Taylor's knock back.

At the other end Jon Macken almost broke through on ten minutes as he looked to have beaten the City defence to Devaney's cross and glanced his shot past Maik Taylor and against a post only to be pulled back for offside.

Parnaby tested Steele with a viscous effort on 13 minutes after linking up with McFadden in the area before the full back set up the opening goal seconds later with a fine cross that dropped right on the head of Phillips in the six yards box. After everything that had gone on last it just had to be Phillips with the first goal and the striker made no mistake with a powerful header that gave Steele no chance.

Phillips almost got in again on 15 minutes as he chased down McFadden's pass but Steele did well to race out and punch the ball clear. McFadden went close to a second a minute later as he cut in from the right hand side but blazed his shot high over the bar from 12 yards.

Barnsley were shaken out of their stride after a bright start although they managed to test Maik Taylor again on 23 minutes when Bobby Hassell's long free kick took a wicked deflection and almost wrong-footed the City keeper but he managed to get down and grab the loose ball. Howard and Macken almost got in on 32 minutes as they both attacked Hassell's cross but a combination of Martin Taylor and Liam Ridgewell managed to clear the danger for City. Leon was an inch away from dragging his side back level on 40 minutes when he broke onto a loose ball 30 yards from goal and let fly but his effort cannoned back off the bar and bounced away from goal.

Howard's desperation to get a foothold back in the game cost him a yellow card on 43 minutes when he went in late on substitute Stephen Kelly.

The second goal came on the stroke of half time after a real moment to forget for Luke Steele. The Reds keeper totally misjudged Quincy Owusu-Abeyie's cross and missed the ball giving O'Connor the simplest of headers at the back post.

Simon Davey looked to change things at half time with Kayode Odejayi coming into the action at the expense of Hassell but it was City who went closest to a goal on 48 minutes when McFadden's deflected shot had Steele scrambling but the ball flew wide. From the corner Marcus Bent hammered the ball over the bar.

At the other end Howard went close to pulling one back just seconds later when he let fly from 18 yards but his shot was straight at a relieved Maik Taylor. City pushed forward on the counter and Sebastian Larsson should have done better when he hammered in a shot on 51 minutes but his wild drive was more of a danger to the corner flag than Steele. Howard almost got the goal the Reds deserved on 58 minutes when he broke onto Odejayi's excellent knockdown and was through on Maik Taylor but the Birmingham keeper pulled off a fine stop to deny the Reds skipper.

Steele had to be alert on 68 minutes as he kept his eye on Lee Carsley's effort before the Reds really should have pulled one back seconds later as Odejayi just could not get his head to Gary Teale's fine cross in the six yard box. The ball came out to Devaney on the left hand side but the winger hammered his shot over the bar when well placed.

Another silly error, this time between Stephen Foster and Teale, almost gifted Owusu-Abeyie a third goal for City on 72 minutes as the Reds pair ran into each other in the area to give the winger the chance to shoot but Steele managed to reach his deflected effort.

McFadden then beat the Red keeper from 25 yards but his dipping effort flew just over the bar on 76 minutes before Leon blazed a free kick high above Maik Taylor's goal down the other end five minutes later. McFadden went even closer seconds later as he broke into the area and fizzed a shot towards the bottom corner but Steele managed to redeem himself for his first half error with an absolutely world class diving save.

Steele had to be at the top of his game again on 82 minutes to turn Gary McSheffery's around the post at full length as City counter attacked again with pace.

Howard almost grabbed a goal on 86 minutes as he turned the City defence to get Odejayi's flick and fired in from 20 yards but his drive flew a yard wide with Maik Taylor looking worried.

BIRMINGHAM CITY: Taylor, Murphy, Parnaby (Kelly 35), Martin Taylor, Ridgewell, Larsson, Carsley (c), Owuse-Abeyie, O'Connor (Bent 45), Phillips (McSheffery 71), McFadden.
Subs: Doyle, Mutch.

BARNSLEY: Steele, Hassell (Odejayi 45), Foster, Souza, Moore, El Haimour, Teale, Howard (c), Leon, Devaney (Mostto 71), Macken.
Subs: Letheren, Atkinson, Kozluk.

Referee: RJ Beeby
Assistant Referee: R Merchant
Assistant Referee: AR Parker
Fourth Official: J Adcock

 

Parnaby tested Steele with a viscous effort.

That's kind of him. At least that'll stick to his gloves.

 

Just guessing but

I bet thats from our offical site (not suggesting creative journalism like)

 

Yes its from our official site