Birmingham City break St. Andrews streak vs. Brighton

Article by Rick Lopez

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On Saturday the curse of St Andrews was finally broken by a lively Blues side, winning 1-0 against Brighton. Before this match, Blues had not won at home since last October against Millwall, which is shocking considering home is where the most successful results are supposed to come from.

However, last season is in the past, and it should stay there. This new Blues squad is an exciting prospect for now and the future, as was shown in the game. Lining up in 4-4-2 formation, Lee Clark’s side showed promise, stopping Brighton from creating any chances, whilst going forward in numbers, Lee Novak and Wes Thomas going close.

The goal came 4 minutes in the second half however, a delightful cross from Cotterill connecting with Thomas’ head and putting the ball in the back of the net.

Blues fans can take many positives from this performance. Notably, Blues’ defence seemed confident and strong, a trait not seen last season. David Edgar and Grant Hall seemed to form a good partnership at CB, whilst Jonathan Spector was especially impressive at right back.

David Davis seems to have been a great signing from Wolves. He had a slight knock in the game, but should be okay for tomorrow’s clash with Ipswich. He shows grit and determination to dominate the centre of midfield, be it whilst defending, or going forward.

With such a strong presence at CM, it allows Clark to play 2 strikers, and Wes Thomas and Clayton Donaldson seem to be forming a good partnership, running at defenders, getting in good positions and reading each other well.

David Cotterill is also a great edition to the team. Almost a like-for-like replacement for Chris Burke, he can cross as well as shoot, as seen by a free kick that went close, and of course he provided the assist.

So what to do to keep this momentum going against Ipswich. Personally, I’d like to see Mark Duffy have a go on the left wing. Lee Novak has been good for us, but he’s a natural striker, not a winger. With more crosses coming into the box, and with a good partnership up front, more goals could be scored.

I’d keep the defence and CM partnerships. Blues need to have a settled team, and I hope Clark doesn’t mix formations and teams up every game, which led to the uncertainty of last season.

Most of all, I’d like to have something to cheer about at St Andrews. Not winning at home for nearly a year led to supporters becoming disheartened - quite rightly. Who wants to see their team get thrashed every weekend?

Hopefully, however, this win will make St Andrews the fortress it can be.

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