There was a distinct feeling of déjà vu about this game. A sunny day in the Midlands, City facing a side relegated from the Premiership, sporadically impressing and threatening to come away with an unexpected point but ultimately succumbing to defeat, leaving visiting Tiger Nationals to bemoan bad luck and some unfavourable officiating.

A fortnight after our last fixture, this game felt like opening day all over again, but alas there is no reset button and the reality is we are five points adrift at the bottom of the Championship table, our form book reading LLLDLL.

There were a few changes to the City line up, talismanic captain Ian Ashbee returned after a year out with a knacked knee and the two players drafted in before the closure of the transfer window, Nicky Forster and Michael Bridges, made their City debuts as a forward partnership. The Tigers line up in full; Myhill, Dawson, Turner, Collins, Ricketts, Marney, Livermore, Ashbee (Capt.), Fagan, Forster and Bridges.

France and the Beast started against Coventry but were listed as substitutes today, Duffy didn’t even make the bench, which is fair enough, though Marney retained his first team place despite a series of poor showings, though he was shuffled over to the left side of midfield to accommodate a defensive central midfield pairing of Livermore and Ashbee.

The return of the totemic Ashbee saw the return of the huddle, a pre match ritual used in both of our promotion seasons. Such a huddle gives the impression of a well bonded team and that is something we’ve not looked in our opening five league games.

City started the game brightly and Michael Bridges nearly opened his Tigers account just 6 minutes into his first game when he showed some neat footwork to jink past a defender before striking a low shot that forced a good save from Maik Taylor, diving to his right to push the ball out for a corner. Soon after a well worked short corner routine (it really did happen, nearly 20,000 people witnessed it) created a chance for Ashbee just beyond the back post but he dragged a shot from Dawson’s low driven cross wide.

The home crowd became restless and their catcalls woke Birmingham from their torpor, MC McSheffrey rapped in a cross that DJ Campbell masterfully mixed, stabbing the ball beyond Myhill to open the scoring. 1-0 Brum, and City’s misery, like Hip Hop just don’t stop.

Birmingham controlled the game now and City once more resembled a bunch of strangers, Livermore scrambled the ball to safety as the Blues looked set to double their lead. Bridges, having not seen the ball in a bit had to drop back deep into his own half just to get a touch. A free kick was dinked into our box causing panic in our defence, a glancing header from Campbell grazed the post as those in black and amber looked frozen place (hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ).

When we had the ball our passing was simply abysmal and attacking moves just fell apart. Two chances that we did create were wasted, Bridges blazed over and after a diagonal run from Marney, he found Fagan who aimlessly hoofed wide. Undone after a promising start, City went in at the break a goal down with heads down. Michael Bridges was the only bright spark amongst the low wattage for City and you wondered how we were going to get back into this game.

Dreading more of the same I stayed in the concourse chatting to batfink about weight gain, DeMange Tout’s made for radio voice and stockists of adidas Originals in Leeds as the 2nd half got underway. As a result I missed Birmingham’s second goal on 53 minutes though my mate Whiting tells me a corner was wrongly awarded to the home side, and in protest City elected not to defend it and McSheffrey’s cross was freely headed home by the unchallenged Nicklas Bendtner, the Swedish youth on loan from Arsenal. 2-0 Brum. Hearing the cheers of the home fans, batfink and I shrugged and compared trainers.

Returning to my seat I saw Dean Marney apparently attempt to put the ball into orbit from a free kick. He wasn’t far off. This game looked over as a contest and even the home fans were struggling to maintain interest, preferring to torment a rotund City fan rather than watch events on the pitch. Then, some action worthy of note; Michael Bridges, by far our best player on this day, played a neat ball to Marney who hit his shot into the side netting when he really should have made the keeper work. Stood near the touchline a few minutes later, Marney knocked ball beyond two blueshirts but instead of chasing it he just stood there. Marney is quite highly rated and he sure works hard, but when are we going to some end product? His performances for City have progressively gotten worse and this showing was the most rotten of the lot. It’s time to drop the lad for his own good and give an extended run to John Welsh who has played well the few times he’s had the opportunity to show his worth.

City didn’t look as if they were going to force their way back into this game unassisted, so it came as a surprise when Birmingham gave us that assistance with a spell of astonishing complacency. Thinking the job done, Birmingham’s players just ambled about and they were punished for it when Bridges rolled the ball invitingly into the path of Livermore who finished smartly, reducing the arrears and offering a way back into the contest if our lot could raise their game. 2-1.

We did, and for the first time in the game it was Birmingham on the back foot as the Tigers drove forward. A cross caused a melee in the Brum box but a lack of real belief saw the chance go begging. An obviously knackered Ashbee left the field, replaced by France.

Bridges made a determined run in to the box but a defender’s attentions meant he couldn’t get off a shot himself, so he elected to pass but two colleagues were not on the same wavelength and the chance went begging. Dean Marney lined up a free kick but instead of making amends for his earlier dead ball debacle, he replicated it, blazing over to groans from City’s traveling support. That was his last ‘contribution’ as he trotted off shamefaced to be replaced by the Beast.

Momentum was with the Tigers now and Fagan won a corner after a tussle near the flag. The cross was cleared without conviction and fell to Fagan but he lashed the shot wide. John Welsh readied himself to come on with just under 10 minutes to go, the decision to introduce him is to be applauded, the decision to replace Bridges, by far our most potent player, was not. The man who once cost Leeds 5 Million left the pitch to deserved applause.

Forster was put through and his shot just clipped the right post, it was all City now and Birmingham, who earlier looked to have the game in the bag were now staining their white shots in Tiger induced terror. Parkin was bundled over just on the edge of the box, the ref waving free kick appeals away and Brum hacked the ball away.

Boaz Myhill kept us in it with a superb save from McSheffery before the ball went back into the Blue’s half for more City pressure. After being fouled twice the Beast won the ball from Danns and was booked for it, you suspected the ref didn’t like our burly forward. Our finest chance to equalise came with the ninety minutes almost expired, Forster’s flicked header set up Parkin who tucked the ball under Taylor only for the ball to bounce agonizingly off the post. The added time board went up, 4 minutes, giving City’s support renewed hope of a leveler. That hope was extinguished however when the ref saw fit to dismiss Parkin for what he claimed was a foul on Jaidi as he jumped for the ball. Rubbish referee, a mindset shared by Parkin’s colleagues who remonstrated with the arbiter as the Beast made a protracted exit. That punctured City’s momentum and Birmingham’s puckered arseholes relaxed on the final whistle.

And so, as after the game at the Hawthorns on the 5th August, the Tiger Nation departed a stadium shaking their heads, feeling we were a bit unlucky not to come away with a point. We can’t put it all down to bad luck indefinitely though and it has to be acknowledged that City haven’t played well for a full 90 minutes in any of our games so far this season, and today’s fightback was inspired by laxness on the part of Birmingham rather than us forcing our way back into things through sheer force of will. Our opponents today are a decent side and as at West Brom we didn’t really expect to leave with anything, but our response to this game has to be better than our response to the opening day defeat when we lost to teams that we should be better than in Barnsley and Derby and managed only a draw against a feeble Ipswich side. The fixture list once again pits us against three teams we really should beat in Leicester, Sheffield Wednesday and QPR. If we have a feeling of déjà vu after those three games then the spectre of relegation will be taking residence at the KC Stadium till May. (LM)