The Premier League game between Stoke City and Birmingham City at the Britannia Stadium on Monday Dec 28 2009.
Even if this match will be etched into the Birmingham City record books, it is not one to savour in the memory banks.
Not since the 1907-08 season have Birmingham gone 11 games unbeaten, as they now have, but those who filled an arctic Britannia stadium, more suited to Eskimos than footballers, must be gluttons for punishment.
Consistency from stability has been the hallmark of the first half of Birmingham’s season. McLeish fielded the same side as he had done for the preceding seven games, even though their draw with Chelsea had evidently left them running on empty.
Fortunately for them Joe Hart was once again in fine fettle (no signs of the knock on the head at the weekend), and a number of saves coupled with Cameron Jerome’s strike in the 50th minute secured another priceless three points.
Things get worse for Stoke City, meanwhile. Tony Pulis has been in a confrontational mood, and it clearly hasn’t been softened by seasonal goodwill. The Stoke manager used his programme notes to make a wholesale attack on officiating standards, accusing referees of coming to the Britannia and giving decisions “less on what they see and more on what they perceive”.
The same could just as easily be said of him; clearly he is a conspiracy theorist, seeing sinister shadows where there are none, and his grievance looked frankly ridiculous when Christian Benítez was brought down in the area seconds before the break by Abdoulaye Faye, and Martin Atkinson waved play-on.
It was a close-run thing, for the defender lunged in, nowhere near the ball, and looked suspiciously like taking the Ecuadorean striker with him.
Atkinson thought not, but McLeish disagreed in strongest terms, the Birmingham manager having palpitations on the sideline.
It was hardly surprising that he was so incensed. Birmingham’s defence were playing with fire. Ryan Shawcross had missed from about a yard out, and McLeish would have felt much happier with a goal in the bank, especially when Stoke sent a looping ball into the area, headed it down according to form, Tuncay’s shot blocked at the last by Roger Johnson.
He got it soon into the second half. A promising effort from Benítez was diverted out for a corner by Rory Delap – his only contribution of note – but James McFadden’s corner was well struck, and Scott Dann’s header deflected off Shawcross and straight to Jerome, who leathered it from point-blank range into the net off a scrambling Sorensen.
Unsurprisingly Stoke were jolted from their creative inertia. Liam Lawrence skipped down the right and crossed for James Beattie header. The striker, making his first start since his bust-up with Pulis earlier this month, had an open goal in front of him but couldn’t climb high enough to get his forehead on it. Faye was next, but Hart saved. The Birmingham goalkeeper is coming of age, and his team are prospering as a result.
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