I am a big believer in doing things out of the ordinary, thinking outside the box, going the extra mile. In all fairness, it is highly unlikely that I will ever enter St Andrews Kop corner ever again, so in that respect alone it was a momentous occasion. I couldn't help but be occupied by the hilarity of the situation however, sitting alone in McDonalds before the game, surrounded by Birmingham fans, I felt like I was going undercover. Back in the day of course, in August, I never thought that the FA Cup run I had embarked on at Boldmere would take me anywhere near Small Heath, yet this is where I found myself. In St Andrews. In the Kop.
Birmingham City is a weird little club, I have decided. Their fans have long been viewed as more passionate and vocal than their Birmingham based rivals; and more committed. Yet I didn't see this while watching highlights of their recent league game against Derby. All I saw was empty seats. Further alarm bells rang as I began reading Chris Houghton's programme notes. In his first sentence, he suggested that the replay tie was 'a welcome distraction from the npower Championship'. Why? True, a home tie against one of the biggest teams in the country is a big deal, but Birmingham are playing in arguably the most exciting and entertaining league in the country, and have a good chance of being promoted.
And then of course you have the stadium. St Andrews is an old ground, and looks it. The Kop swings round to the Tilton in one tier, while the Garrison Lane end has a huge lower tier below a comparatively small upper one. The whole stadium looks out of proportion. But then I am biased. The Tilton is no Holte End after all.
And so to the football. Chelsea were coming into this game having lost their manager, and looking like losing their season if they couldn't get anything here, and they immediately set out to gain an advantage, their lively forward Mata unlocking the Blues defence after barely 3 minutes. Birmingham soon recovered after this initial scare, and appeared to be carrying on from where they left off in London; tight at the back, determined and focused in midfield. Trying hard not to allow Chelsea room to play. The result was a bleak stalemate at halftime after a first half of little note.
If the first half had been bleak, the second half transformed the game into a tantalizing tussle that quickly developed into an end to end spectacle. I am not sure what Birmingham's bright young manager said to them at half time, but it certainly didn't work as Chelsea came out storming, their pressure gifting them first blood. Minutes later, a superb solo effort from Meireles all but ended Birmingham's hopes of creating a cup upset. Chelsea maight have gone to hell and back over the past few weeks, but a devastating 6 minute episode showed us all what they are capable of.
And it was all over.
Well, maybe not. You see, for Birmingham's fun loving fans there was one genuine moment of celebration to be had, and even if it didn't win them the game, it was worth seeing. Shortly after going 2-0 up, Chelsea were awarded a penalty in front of their own fans. From where I was, I couldn't see if it was a dive or not, but seconds later, Juan Mata was stepping up to increase the lead. As we all watched and waited for the inevitable, Birmingham fans began chanting for Torres to take the spotkick. It wasn't Torres, it was Mata. And it was saved, saved by the hero of the original tie, Colin Doyle.
The save sparked Birmingham back into life and gave them confidence to play for the last fifteen minutes. It was of course, to no avail. When Blues were crying out for some ingenuity, some creativity and flair, they had Nikola Zigic. They bright young star Nathan Redmond, was hardly given enough service throughout the game, and must have been furious.
In the end, it was all too much for Birmingham who had tried hard but failed miserably. For Chelsea, this victory is hugely significant as it gives them genuine hope of winning a trophy this season, after the disaster of the last few weeks. They will surely fancy their chances now of beating Leicester at home, and making Wembley for the semi final. For Birmingham, their 'Road' ends here...for me and Chelsea... Blue is the Colour!
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