17-09-2014, 17:40
A difficult match to sum up.
First half we were terrible. Lees & Looven struggled for the first time this season as Brum hit balls into the channels. Coke was anonimous. Semedo passed every ball to a Brum player and was easily knocked off the ball. Nuhui didn't get into the game bar one early chance.
The second half was terrific. We tightened up defensively. We got Maghoma & Maguire more into the game. May got the ball more and we looked more like a promotion chasing side.
Both sides had straightforward chances in the opening ten minutes. Donaldson slashed high & wide from the edge of the box while Nuhui sidefooted wide from ten yards with the goal at his mercy after Maguire set him up. After that it was a nightmare half hour but somehow Brum didn't take advantage.
The second half was a complete contrast. We came out late and ran past the Brum team who were waiting for us. I knew then that there was a new attitude.
We should have scored when their keeper fumbled Palmer's shot but Maghoma could only hit the post from a narrow angle. Great that he followed the shot in but poor that he missed. Drenthe replaced Coke. It always looked like we would score & it was no surprise that May got it. He cut in from the left after a good passing move and fired in low from ten yards.
Our intent was clear when Mattock made a tough challenge on Brum's next attack. Nothing would breach our defence. They had only one half chance, a shot fro the edge of the box that was blocked. Otherwise, it was a stream of Wednesday attacking. Madine replaced Nuhui & linked the play up well and his better mobility helped us get numbers in the box.
Helan replaced the tiring May as we swarmed forward time & time again. We got our reward when Helan shot crisply from the edge of the box from Maguire's pull back. It was noticeable in the final 15 minutes how we were finding much better positions in the box.
Five additional minutes proved comfortable.
Westwood - 6 - no saves to make again
Palmer - 6 - good going forward
Lees - 5 - dodgy first half, back to normal second half
Loovens -6 - shaky first half, outstanding second half
Mattock - 7 - solid both halves
Maguire - 7 - better, involved in both goals & set up Nuhui early on
Coke - 4 - terrible, not involved
Semedo - 5 - liability first half, ok second half
Maghoma - 7 - always lively
Nuhui - 5 - not involved, silly booking, missed early chance
May - 8 - live wire, always looked dangerous, scored crucial goal
.....................................................................
Drenthe - 5 - did little except acted as a decoy
Madine - 7 - looked the part, won every ball & linked play well
Helan - 7 - found plenty of space & scored second goal
We shouldn't get too excited because Birmingham were rubbish but we picked up another three points without Hutchinson & Lee and got another clean sheet.
First half we were terrible. Lees & Looven struggled for the first time this season as Brum hit balls into the channels. Coke was anonimous. Semedo passed every ball to a Brum player and was easily knocked off the ball. Nuhui didn't get into the game bar one early chance.
The second half was terrific. We tightened up defensively. We got Maghoma & Maguire more into the game. May got the ball more and we looked more like a promotion chasing side.
Both sides had straightforward chances in the opening ten minutes. Donaldson slashed high & wide from the edge of the box while Nuhui sidefooted wide from ten yards with the goal at his mercy after Maguire set him up. After that it was a nightmare half hour but somehow Brum didn't take advantage.
The second half was a complete contrast. We came out late and ran past the Brum team who were waiting for us. I knew then that there was a new attitude.
We should have scored when their keeper fumbled Palmer's shot but Maghoma could only hit the post from a narrow angle. Great that he followed the shot in but poor that he missed. Drenthe replaced Coke. It always looked like we would score & it was no surprise that May got it. He cut in from the left after a good passing move and fired in low from ten yards.
Our intent was clear when Mattock made a tough challenge on Brum's next attack. Nothing would breach our defence. They had only one half chance, a shot fro the edge of the box that was blocked. Otherwise, it was a stream of Wednesday attacking. Madine replaced Nuhui & linked the play up well and his better mobility helped us get numbers in the box.
Helan replaced the tiring May as we swarmed forward time & time again. We got our reward when Helan shot crisply from the edge of the box from Maguire's pull back. It was noticeable in the final 15 minutes how we were finding much better positions in the box.
Five additional minutes proved comfortable.
Westwood - 6 - no saves to make again
Palmer - 6 - good going forward
Lees - 5 - dodgy first half, back to normal second half
Loovens -6 - shaky first half, outstanding second half
Mattock - 7 - solid both halves
Maguire - 7 - better, involved in both goals & set up Nuhui early on
Coke - 4 - terrible, not involved
Semedo - 5 - liability first half, ok second half
Maghoma - 7 - always lively
Nuhui - 5 - not involved, silly booking, missed early chance
May - 8 - live wire, always looked dangerous, scored crucial goal
.....................................................................
Drenthe - 5 - did little except acted as a decoy
Madine - 7 - looked the part, won every ball & linked play well
Helan - 7 - found plenty of space & scored second goal
We shouldn't get too excited because Birmingham were rubbish but we picked up another three points without Hutchinson & Lee and got another clean sheet.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.