CITY 1 BIRMINGHAM CITY 1
League Division 1
28th December 1985
attendance 24,955
Scorers
City McNab(89)
Birmingham Geddis(15)
Ref F Roberts
City Nixon, Reid, Power, Clements, McCarthy, Phillips, Lillis, May, Davies, McNab, Wilson – sub Simpson(61)
Birmingham Seaman, Ranson, Dicks, Wright, Hagan, Kuhl, Bremner, Platnauer, Kennedy, Geddis, Hopkins – sub Rees(89)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
PATRICK BARCLAY WRITING IN THE GUARDIAN 30TH DECEMBER 1985
Woke up this mornin’
Thought I’d pick a defensive team
Yes, I woke up this mornin’
Thought l’d pick a defensive team
Don’t care what them ole fans think
Cos I’m feelin’ so real mean
No, Ron “Stoneface” Saunders didn’t go quite that far, but the man who manages the Blues might as well have been singing them after a last-minute goal denied his side their first win in 13 matches at Maine Road on Saturday. Birmingham look as it they are going to be relegated and, according to Saunders, it might have been better if they hadn’t been promoted in the first place. No money had been spent on the squad for 18 months, and he saw no immediate prospect of any despite the recent takeover, which had simply prevented the club from going bust.
Saunders says Birmingham are only two or three players short of being a decent mid-tabie side. That may be so, but in the meantime they indeed represent little more than a waste of the First Division time They don’t even lose spectacularly. And, as they showed on Saturday, they are eminently capable of frustrating the likes of Manchester City.
To defend as well as they did at Maine Road, where Wright. Hagan, Bremner, Seaman, and the 17-year-old Dicks gave impressive performances. is of no use while a miserable scoring record of 14 goals in 23 matches, the worst in the League, tightens the economic straitjacket by driving away even Birmingham’s own supporters.
In fairness they made an enterprising start, settling more quickly on a surface that mocked the underground heating system. and scored first through Geddis. The crowd soon began to lose patience with Manchester City’s inaccuracy. But the home side, having beaten Liverpool on Boxing Day, were in no mood to give up. And after countless penalty area disappointments they finaily made it.
Predictably the breakthrough came down the left. where the young winger Simpson’s belated introduction had widened a crack in Birmingham’s defence. The determined Power raced through, lost the ball, won it back. and squared for McNab to squeeze a shot in off Seaman.