Birmingham City 1 Aston Villa 1: match report
Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Birmingham City and Aston Villa at St Andrews on Sunday Jan 16 2011.
derby outside the relegation zone, and for that they must be thankful, but this game provided further evidence neither team's strikers could find the net with GPS assistance let alone their colourful boots.
Centre-backs Roger Johnson and James Collins rose to this occasion this time around, but their attackers'' waste does not bode well as they struggle to climb the table.
Villa, who started the day second from bottom, will take comfort from having battled back from behind – it was an important demonstration of their guts and determination and suggests that the squad have finally swung behind Gerard Houllier in their bid to avoid relegation. The Frenchman admitted it could have been "a different result" three months ago.
But despite a home defence weakened by the absence of Scott Dann, who tore his hamstring against West Ham in midweek and is now a doubt for the rest of the season, an uncertain performance from Ben Foster, who could do with getting back to the practice ground to work on his clearances, and the recall of John Carew, Villa's top scorer for the last three seasons, goals from Villa's frontmen remain elusive.
Gabriel Agbonlahor, yet to score this season, could have put Villa ahead after just 34 seconds, having profited from Foster's first poor clearance of the day before somehow popping his shot from close range over. Carew hit the bar. Birmingham were no better: Matt Derbyshire failed to even make contact with a cross crying out to be smacked home from three yards.
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As infuriating as such waste is, both clubs were spared major disappointment by moving the right way up the table, which can only be good for confidence. "People talk about going out for a Chinese and beers, but team spirit totally revolves around results," said Gary McAllister, the Villa assistant manager. "This is a plus psychologically."
The predicament that both clubs find themselves in, and the disillusionment of the supporters, was illustrated by the turnout of just 22,287, a lamentable crowd for such a derby. Those that did turn up would have been distinctly unimpressed that their supposed goalscorers cannot convert chances. Gerard Houllier's side could have scored three times inside the first 23 minutes, twice hitting the woodwork.
Birmingham, meanwhile, should have taken the lead with Derbyshire, starting in place of the injured Cameron Jerome. However, the striker somehow failed to connect with the ball from three yards out when Craig Gardner escaped Kyle Walker in the area and supplied a perfect low cross which set the striker up in front of goal.
It was a let-off for Walker, the young right back on loan from Spurs, not to mention Friedel, as was Mark Clattenburg's decision not to award a penalty when Gardner played the ball onto Walker's arm in the area. Villa were just as fortunate when, a second later, Danny Murphy was pushed to the ground by Marc Albrighton. Again Clattenburg refused to nibble. "I don't even claim for them any more," McLeish said.
Any sense of injustice was soon forgotten in the 49th minute, when Alexander Hleb was fouled outside the area by James Collins. Bentley, making his debut after joining on loan from Tottenham last week, looks as though a mafia henchman had set his feet in concrete his step-overs are so sluggish, but he can still strike a dead ball, and his free kick scudded through to Murphy. The defender clipped the ball to Johnson, who sidefooted into the corner.
Birmingham had chances to double the lead and extend it, Derbyshire drawing Friedel into a palmed save, Gardner then rushing a volley soon afterwards. Yet Foster made another hash of a clearance, and when Collins received the ball in the area the defender swivelled and found the corner via a deflection off Ridgewell.
"We showed a lot of spirit and fight," said Collins. "No one is happy with the way we have been performing on the pitch. It is down to the players to really dig in and hopefully the spirit and the fight we showed will spur us on."
The defenders are doing their bit. Time for the strikers to stand and deliver.
Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Birmingham City and Aston Villa at St Andrews on Sunday Jan 16 2011.
derby outside the relegation zone, and for that they must be thankful, but this game provided further evidence neither team's strikers could find the net with GPS assistance let alone their colourful boots.
Centre-backs Roger Johnson and James Collins rose to this occasion this time around, but their attackers'' waste does not bode well as they struggle to climb the table.
Villa, who started the day second from bottom, will take comfort from having battled back from behind – it was an important demonstration of their guts and determination and suggests that the squad have finally swung behind Gerard Houllier in their bid to avoid relegation. The Frenchman admitted it could have been "a different result" three months ago.
But despite a home defence weakened by the absence of Scott Dann, who tore his hamstring against West Ham in midweek and is now a doubt for the rest of the season, an uncertain performance from Ben Foster, who could do with getting back to the practice ground to work on his clearances, and the recall of John Carew, Villa's top scorer for the last three seasons, goals from Villa's frontmen remain elusive.
Gabriel Agbonlahor, yet to score this season, could have put Villa ahead after just 34 seconds, having profited from Foster's first poor clearance of the day before somehow popping his shot from close range over. Carew hit the bar. Birmingham were no better: Matt Derbyshire failed to even make contact with a cross crying out to be smacked home from three yards.
Related Articles
*
Birmingham v Villa: as it happened
16 Jan 2011
*
Sunderland 1 Newcastle 1
16 Jan 2011
*
Premier League table
12 Jan 2011
*
Birmingham v Aston Villa: preview
14 Jan 2011
*
Telegraph player rater
12 Jan 2011
*
Premier League fixtures
12 Jan 2011
As infuriating as such waste is, both clubs were spared major disappointment by moving the right way up the table, which can only be good for confidence. "People talk about going out for a Chinese and beers, but team spirit totally revolves around results," said Gary McAllister, the Villa assistant manager. "This is a plus psychologically."
The predicament that both clubs find themselves in, and the disillusionment of the supporters, was illustrated by the turnout of just 22,287, a lamentable crowd for such a derby. Those that did turn up would have been distinctly unimpressed that their supposed goalscorers cannot convert chances. Gerard Houllier's side could have scored three times inside the first 23 minutes, twice hitting the woodwork.
Birmingham, meanwhile, should have taken the lead with Derbyshire, starting in place of the injured Cameron Jerome. However, the striker somehow failed to connect with the ball from three yards out when Craig Gardner escaped Kyle Walker in the area and supplied a perfect low cross which set the striker up in front of goal.
It was a let-off for Walker, the young right back on loan from Spurs, not to mention Friedel, as was Mark Clattenburg's decision not to award a penalty when Gardner played the ball onto Walker's arm in the area. Villa were just as fortunate when, a second later, Danny Murphy was pushed to the ground by Marc Albrighton. Again Clattenburg refused to nibble. "I don't even claim for them any more," McLeish said.
Any sense of injustice was soon forgotten in the 49th minute, when Alexander Hleb was fouled outside the area by James Collins. Bentley, making his debut after joining on loan from Tottenham last week, looks as though a mafia henchman had set his feet in concrete his step-overs are so sluggish, but he can still strike a dead ball, and his free kick scudded through to Murphy. The defender clipped the ball to Johnson, who sidefooted into the corner.
Birmingham had chances to double the lead and extend it, Derbyshire drawing Friedel into a palmed save, Gardner then rushing a volley soon afterwards. Yet Foster made another hash of a clearance, and when Collins received the ball in the area the defender swivelled and found the corner via a deflection off Ridgewell.
"We showed a lot of spirit and fight," said Collins. "No one is happy with the way we have been performing on the pitch. It is down to the players to really dig in and hopefully the spirit and the fight we showed will spur us on."
The defenders are doing their bit. Time for the strikers to stand and deliver.
