Birmingham found their way back to a winning formula following their two poor performances over the Easter weekend.
Derby’s last-minute defeat at Portman Road has laid the path to second place open again. If Birmingham can draw or win at the Walker Stadium on Tuesday night, the pressure will most definitely be on the Bill Davies’s shoulders again.
With a nearly-fit Clemence recalled to central midfield partnering Fabrice Muamba, Damien Johnson took the right-wing position to replace the unwell Seb Larsson.
Andy Cole finally made his debut to an expectant crowd on an unseasonably hot day.
The shape of Saturday’s team far more resembled the ones that turned out winning results earlier in the season, although Mat Sadler is obviously still being ‘rested’ while Stephen Kelly continued to fill in at the unfamiliar position of left back.
However, the temperature on the pitch didn’t seem to affect Blues as they pushed forward repeatedly in the first 15 minutes.
It was a blow when Damien Johnson had to be subbed in the 22nd minute with a hamstring injury. Rowan Vine filled the gap at right wing
A string of corners put the pressure on Southampton to defend their own territory repeatedly before Jaidi rose for a trademark towering header from McSheffrey’s corner just after the half hour.
Birmingham didn’t get all the play though as Southampton proved to be good on the break, hitting the woodwork and testing Colin Doyle.
The Saints started the second half much more brightly and Birmingham were pushed to some resolute defending. The returning Kenwyne Jones certainly tried to make his mark on the game.
As the game wore on, the need for a second goal became more urgent and the substitution of Nafti for an exhausted Clemence proved to be the turning point. His excellent forward run put the ball at Andy Cole’s feet, who them provided a superb pass for Bendtner to round the keeper and finish the job from a narrow angle.
The clean sheet eluded Birmingham as the defence collectively nodded off and allowed Saganowski a free header in the 85th minute. This made the closing stages of the game a little nerves for Blues, but Southampton failed to make the most of the opportunity they had to press on further and snatch a point.
Steve Bruce had gambled with the players on his bench; there were strikers aplenty but no defenders. With Damien Johnson injured at an early stage of the game and Larsson not in the 16, a team shuffle to accommodate a defensive injury or red card could have been interesting.
However, there are probably many fans out there who feel that ‘faint heart never won fair football match’.
Or something like that.
Manager Rating
Has done his best to return to a winning formula. Never forget Steve: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Gambled with the bench but got away with it.