We got the early train and even though it was the slower (and cheaper) option the journey wasn't that bad. Even met some Wolves fans travelling from Banbury, and they told us that Villa were pretty poor. We go to Birmingham Moor Street, and headed off to the Bullring. As with most away fans we googled the nearest Spoons, and found ourselves in the Square Peg. At 10.45 is was very busy and has probably the longest bar I have seen, at 85 feet app. The class of clientelle was fairly poor, and a few dodgy looking characters came and went, one even selling mobile phones (probably nicked from the night before). A few beers later and we headed off to New Street to find a drinking hole nearer the ground. Somebody told me that they had done up the Bullring, but it still looked pretty dismal to me.
So, we got to Witton and headed to the Witton Arms, which apparently is the only away fans pub in the area. Even the Villa website "confirms" this. There were 3 big looking lads at the gate who decided to relieve of us of a £2 pound entry fee. Not sure why you have to pay 2 quid to get into a pub, but it is what it is. Inside there were a few Fulham lads, but this gaff made the pub in Shameless look like a gastro pub. It is impossible to describe how basic this pub was, but maybe the £2 entry was to buy some paint from the nearest Wickes. Add to that several IRA supporting flags, and you get the picture. It was a sh*thole, which is pretty much in keeping with the rest of the city. The Fulham lads were in good voice as the pub filled up more, but there must have been another pub where our lads were meeting.
After that it was off to the ground, which is pretty impressive, although a little sterile these days.
It was great to see Fredericks back, which should fill us with optimism, and with TC on the bench, again, we could at least dare to dream. To be honest, the first half was a pretty drab affair as Villa, like most teams this season, pressed us high up knowing we pass out from the back. There were a few half chances for both teams, but nothing of any substance. Then a free kick was floated into our box, and the "Pikie from Chelscum" got across the front of our defence and nodded past Button. To make matters worse, he thought it was fun to celebrate his goal in front of our fans. As the half was coming to a close, we won a free kick on the edge of the box which Johansen placed in the far corner.......1-1!!
The second half didn't start much better, but the Whites looked more up for it, and we started to take control. But a mistake from Ream gave them possession, and they scored from close in at the back post. When TC came on, you could see why we miss him so much, as he started to find space, and control the midfield. Ayite should have scored when presented with an easy chance in the middle of their goal, and with Fonte also missing, we knew it wasn't going to be our day. After that Villa just defended as we passed the ball around trying to walk the ball into the net. So, that was it, back to the centre, a quick pint and back to London.
Player ratings
Button- Made a couple of good stops, and didn't do too much wrong. The only criticism is his passing out from defence, but if that is how he is asked to play, he will make mistakes.- 7
Fredericks- Although not fully match fit, he showed why we need him so much with his runs at the opposition defence. Tired near the end and looked like his knock was starting to trouble him, but still better than the alternatives- 8
Kalas- Although he lost the ball a couple of times when dribbling out, he was solid enough and gave his usual 120%- 7
Ream- Probably his worst game of the season. His excellent, recent, improvement was missing and he was at fault for their second goal- 5
Sessegnon- At the risk of upsetting his many admirers, I thought he was poor today. He is simply not a left back, and although he made a few good forward runs, maybe it is time to give him a rest- 6
Norwood- Played his usual game, but he doesn't have the movement or passing of TC. His early booking may have held him back a little, also, but overall looked pretty average- 6
McDonald- Didn't do anything wrong and had a solid game. Has played better, but it more effective when TC plays- 7
Johansen- Lost a little of his recent form, but he is still vital to the team. Scored a good free kick, but it was a shame to see him go off injured- 7
Fonte- Basically, the jury is still out on him. Didn't do anything to justify his price tag. Tried too many fancy flicks and was not strong enough to make any impression- 4
Ayite- Didn't really do too much to worry the opposition, and I would have preferred to see Kebano above him. Needed to take players on more, but reasonably solid enough performance- 6
Kamara- If you want to set yourself up for a fall, then name yourself AK47 before the season starts. He may have been a little isolated in this game, but didn't do anything of note- 5
Subs-
Cairney- He could come on at 50% fitness and he would still run the show. Looked effective all the way through, and you could see why Villa backed off, deeper and deeper. Another impressive performance from a man only half fit- 8
Kebano- Only had 11 minutes, and by then Villa were defending the game- 6
Cisse- Put himself about, but not enough quality for me- 6
Overall
Whether it is the international break, or the opposition having sussed our short passing from the back, we looked, once again, like a one man team. We need to solve the left back problem and we need a proven "out and out" striker. Villa weren't that good, but they do have quality players. On our best day, and with TC fit, we would have won. But, we should be realistic as we were away at one of the favourites. We can play better but we need to stop being so predictable with our passing out from the back, as it means the opposition can press us high up. We find ourselves only 3 points off the play-offs with this setback, and with two winnable games coming up, this game will soon be forgotten.
Overall day out
It is always great to travel away with FFC, but Birmingham is a dump.
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IN SLAVISA WE TRUST
*This is just a humble opinion from a loyal fan*
© Nic Smith
