It was scrappy. It was dull. It was by no means a good advert for Premiership football.
But none of that matters. The scoreline reads ‘Birmingham 1 Fulham 0’, and Blues complete their first home victory of the season – and one that may well kickstart our season.
But onto the match itself. Well, the less said about the first half the better. It seems that the BBC agreed, as they chose to omit the entirety of that half from their ‘Match of the Day’ highlights, and understandably so. The only chance for Blues came early in the game, with Dunn’s 6th minute free kick curled straight into Fulham ‘keeper Mark Crossley’s arms.
And that was about it really. Fulham’s offside trap continually frustrated Emile Heskey, and the linesman’s (sorry, assistant referee’s) arm must have been close to falling off, the amount of times he raised his flag. However, Fulham failed to capitalise on this, producing only one poor chance on goal all half.
And so to the second half. The early stages looked to be much of the same, as Blues failed to break down a stubborn Fulham side who also offered little attacking threat. Bruce therefore made the decision to bring on Pennant in place of Lazaridis, and he soon found himself in the action – his strike from the edge of the area was well saved by Crossley. However, this was about the extent of his contribution, as apart from a great sprint back to make a saving challenge on a clean-through Collins John, he looked fairly disinterested and didn’t make the impact Bruce would surely have hoped for.
Blues next chance on goal came through a tame Heskey header straight at Crossley from a Dunn cross. The provider then tried his hand (or should that be foot?) at a shot – his superp curling effort drawing a great save from Crossley, following the substitution of ‘Bombscare’ Olivier Tebily for Jiri Jarosik.
However, Dunn was clearly tiring fast in his second start since returning from injury, and his substitution for Jamie Clapham was met by boos from sections of the Tilton – understandably, as bringing on a midfielder when a team needs a goal does seem a strange decision.
The moment that seemed to signal a bore draw came soon after, as Nicky Butt’s unmarked header drifted wide of the post. But undeterred, six minutes from time Heskey nodded Clapham’s cross to Butt, who drove a diving header past keeper Crossley, sparking wild scenes around St. Andrews.
From then on it was backs to the wall as Fulham threw everything forwards seeking an equaliser, but missing their two main attacking threats in Papa Bouba Diop and Luis Boa Morte, failed to create any serious chances.
The win moved Blues up one position to 18th, overtaking Portsmouth. Our next fixture away at a Man City side who will be missing Andy Cole after he was dismissed this weekend, is also a critical fixture as we look to push on from the win.
Player Ratings
Nico Vaesen – 6
Had little to do but dealt with what he had to do effectively.
Olivier Tebily – 6
Unfairly criticised as always from section of the crowd. His usual ‘Bombscare’ self, looking comfortable on the ball but often switches off, leaving the defence vulnerable.
Kenny Cunningham – 7
Nullified the threat of a pacy Collins John (or John Collins as he was announced before the match), and generally reliable.
Matty Upson – 6.5
Defensively sound, but cannot pass to save his life – he either hoofs the ball upfield, and in this match, failed to make fairly simple passes on several occasions.
Marcos Painter – 7
Assured debut, and should remain in the side for the visit to Manchester.
Damien Johnson – 7
Chased and harried as per usual.
Nicky Butt – 7
Strong in central midfield, made a number of tackles as he refused to give Fulham time on the ball. Should have scored with a free header but made up for it with his goal.
Stephen Clemence – 7
Worked well alongside Butt to prevent Fulham attacking.
Stan Lazaridis – 6
Ineffectual, failed to get in many crosses, and failed to pass to players in better positions.
David Dunn – 6
Apart from his good shot, was fairly quiet, and visibly tired greatly soon into the second half. Possibly gained his rating as a victim of his own success and the expectation levels around him.
Emile Heskey – 7
Toiled well as per usual, but needs a partner to head the ball to.
Jermaine Pennant (for Lazaridis, 53) – 5
Generally looked disinterested, did little to try and take on or beat men, only notable contribution was his good saving tackle on Collins John.
Jiri Jarosik (for Tebily, 69) – 5
Again, looked disinterested, clearly he doesn’t want to be here. Unfortunately, Jiri, Spartak Moscow don’t want you, so roll your sleeves up and put in a bit of effort.
Did little apart from the cross for the goal.
Manager Rating
Steve Bruce – 7 Chose a good battling team, which is what we needed, but Heskey needs a partner and his choice of Clapham for Dunn was baffling as we were desperately chasing a goal.
Opponent Rating
Chris Coleman – 5 Failed to make any substitutions to help his team once they went a goal down, despite having striker Helguson on the bench.
Referee – Uriah Rennie – 7
Surprisingly good, considering it was Uriah Rennie. A couple of dodgy decisions – but that happens to every referee every match – and had little to contend with. Didn’t really notice him, so must have been good.