Blackpool 2 Birmingham City 0 - Post match analysis
Jan 26 2009 by Andy Walker, Birmingham Post, at Bloomfield Road
If the Birmingham players’ heads hadn’t already dropped then they were firmly focused on the turf in the 37th minute. A long punt forward fell squarely on the right boot of Keith Southern, via the chest of Taylor-Fletcher, before being thumped into the top left-hand corner from 20-yards. Even at that relatively early moment of the game there appeared to be no way back for Birmingham.
The interval scoreline may have left McLeish with a headache but it wouldn’t have been half as bad as the one Parnaby picked up ten minutes after the half-time break. The Birmingham right-back bravely blocked Taylor-Fletcher’s advances but received a hefty blow to the head in the process and had to be withdrawn from the action on a stretcher.
Golden goal-scoring opportunity number two came and went for Birmingham. Bouazza’s clever throughball unleashed Jerome who bared down on Rachubka’s goal but the England Under-21 international wastefully dragged his effort across the six-yard box.
Blackpool substitute Claus Jorgensen took an early bath after receiving a straight red-card for his reckless elbow on Bowyer but the numerical advantage failed to bring Birmingham an unlikely goal.
The travelling 1,431 Birmingham supporters, who were so unentertained from what was unfolding in front of their eyes that they chose to form a conga, let their frustrations be known at the final whistle.
Panic stations it may not be just yet but with just one win from their last seven matches, the alarm bells are beginning to sound.
BLACKPOOL (4-4-2): Rachubka, Barker, Evatt, Edwards, Harte, O’Donovan (Owens 79), Southern (Jorgensen 58), Fox, Martin (Crainey 83), Taylor-Fletcher, Campbell. Subs not used: Gilks, Nardiello.
BIRMINGHAM CITY (4-5-1): Maik Taylor, Parnaby (Phillips 55), Jaidi, Ridgewell, Queudrue (Fahey 66), Larsson, Bouazza, Carsley, Bowyer, Sinclair (McFadden H/T), Jerome. Subs not used: Doyle, Martin Taylor.
Referee: Steve Tanner (Somerset).
Bookings: Blackpool – O’Donovan (foul); Blues – Maik Taylor (dissent).
Sending-off: Blackpool – Jorgensen (violent conduct).
Attendance: 8,105.
