Match Report 2001-2002

Tuesday 12 March, 2002, Division One

Birmingham City At Valley Parade

Half hearted

This is a quick report. Not because of the sour taste losing to Steve Bruce's Birmingham has left in the mouth but juts because there is nothing new to say about this 3-1 defeat.

It was City as we have come to expect this year. A litter of adjectives that you would never want associating with your side: Half hearted, indifferent, uninterested, dispassionate, inept, and blunt.

Some of these comments were less applicable in the second half than the first, but for a team that could have stormed this division after the early season they are all applicable.

City went one down after woeful ball watching defending left Darren Purse unmarked two yards out to stab a headed down corner home. It came after six minutes in which City had barely managed to venture out of our own half.

Things did not improve. Stern John was offside when he turned in a rebound after Alan Combe had saved a Paul Devlin run and shot but only the City goalkeeper complained. The irony: We do not even moan at the linesman as a team.

Eoin Jess had a few swings before giving City something to take into half time after a Stuart McCall header caused problems in the box. City came out second half after a tongue lashing.

Credit to the players that the application in the second 45 was a thousand percent better. Lee Sharpe had looked disinterested first half, he at least tried second forty five. However there was no improvement in the quality of play. Injuries have left City with a brittle back line of Claus Jorgensen, Gunnat Halle, Mark Bower and Wayne Jacobs. The forwards Eoin Jess and Danny Cadamarteri are both small fellas. In short City huffed and puffed but lacked the punch up front to equalise and looked unlikely to keep a clean sheet for the second 45.

City took the possession in the second half but only turned this into a few tame shots that Nico Veasen saved with ease. Birmingham secured the win after a Wayne Jacobs made a mess of a back pass and the former Scarborough and Halifax striker Geoff Horsfield buried.

A word here on the booing of Jacobs that followed. Without wanting to be too dismissive of the right to hold opinion of any City fan I think that those people who boo Jacobs are incapable of reading a game of football. They are wrong. Wayne Jacobs continues to serve the club excellently. The fact that he had Lee Sharpe in front of him, who did very little defending all night as he does in most games, would seem lost on the Jacobs boo boys who curiously also seem to boo Sharpe for not trying.

If Sharpe is not defending, and he is not, then Jacobs is left to defend against full back and winger on his own. No full back in the world could do that. Jacobs is playing as well as anyone in claret and amber has this year. It is that simple.

Stuart McCall would like to drag City to safety as he did take up to promotion. He may still do but it will probably be his final act in City colours. This team needs a wrecking ball. Danny Cadamarteri and McCall got involved and did things wrong by virtue of the play they got involved in. With the exception of these two players, one of whom is leaving there was no one on the field who should be considered secure in his job at Bradford City.

As it stands City still need a couple of wins to take us to 51 points before the reboot of the squad. Time is running out to get them.

Man of the Match

Stuart McCall

Would like to drag City to safety as he did take up to promotion if he could.

City Team:

Combe
Jorgensen Halle Bower Jacobs
Lawrence McCall Whalley Sharpe
Cadamarteri Jess

Subs: Junajo for Whalley