Blues win at home against Blackpool with Andy Munro watching.
We needed (and were overdue) a win and Blackpool was always going to be a tough game given their recent more than decent form. Incidentally, they were backed by impressively vociferous support who obviously fancied a day out in Birmingham, away from the boredom of Blackpool.
In fact, apart from a decent opening ten minutes they ran us ragged in the first half and only their failure to finish in the final third saved us from an embarrassing half-time scoreline. Luckily, Lee Bowyer must have read the riot act at the break. Either that or there must have been some illegal substances in the dressing room cuppas.
Either way, the Blues came out a different proposition but helped, it has to be said, by some canny substitutions and a change of formation. Noticeably the appearance off the bench of the Juke with two alongside in Chuks Aneke and Scott Hogan, which suddenly meant that we looked to have an attacking threat for the first time. Ironically, this was at the expense of Jeremie Bela, who was our main attacking threat in the first period other than possibly the talented Riley McGree.
In fairness, Jordan Graham, who early on didn’t look match fit, was also a box of tricks for much of the second half. The young lad Jordan James did himself no harm with a confident performance, which can’t have been easy in a gale force wind of the like of which is only normally seen in the away club’s hometown.
Finally, mention must be made of a brilliant save by Matija Sarkic in the closing stages, which safeguarded the three points and put us back in a comfortable mid-table position.
