CITY 1 BIRMINGHAM CITY 0
League Division 1
27th January 1973
attendance 31,882
scorer Donachie(60)
Ref R Capey
City Corrigan, Book, Donachie, Doyle, Booth, Jeffries, Summerbee, Bell, Marsh, Lee, Towers – sub Mellor(unused)
Birmingham D Latchford, Martin, Want, Page, Hynd, Roberts, Smith, Hatton, R Latchford, Hope, Talor – sub Campbell(68)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
ALLISON SHOWS HOW IT’S DONE
JAMES LAWTON WRITING IN THE DAILY EXPRESS 29TH JANUARY 1972
Malcolm Allison gave weight to his slashing attack on Sir Alf Ramsey with a dramatic lesson in how to dismantle a mass defence. It brought Manchester City their 1-0 win over Birmingham.
He cringed through the first half as his men fell into Birmingham’s trap as abjectly as England had against Wales.
City over-ran Birmingham so completely in the second half that the one goal reward must reain one of the great mysteries of the season, and at the heart of this marvelous transformation was Marsh.
He passed so acutely with such deadly vision, that Birmingham seemed to freeze every time he touched the ball. The moment of supreme recognition from the terraces came when he insolently lobbed the ball over the head of Birmingham goalkeeper Dave Latchford, only to see it bobble off the crossbar.
Maine Road rose to that piece of majesty.
Birmingham’s game seemed to clutch at every device in the storeroom of defensive spoiling football.
Birmingham manager Freddie Goodwin can glean some satisfaction from the tremendous performance of £150,000 signing John Roberts and the good temperament of David Latchford.
These two alone lived with Manchester’s pace and grandeur in the second half, which incredibly had only the thin confirmation of Willie Donachie’s first brilliant goal for the club.