WBA 3-2 Blackpool F.C.
live text replay
i had - and quite philosophically - gone to england with four west brom matches to attend - with the expectation that 7 points from 12 would be a success. the baggies exceeded any of my hopes by taking all 12 points, as well as producing two highly uncharacteristic clean-sheets against both swansea and coventry city respectively. i had landed at heathrow on thursday, spent the better part of two days in london seeking out (amongst other things) the best meat thali plate in paddington, before making my way to birmingham on a saturday morning for the baggies' home match with blackpool.
unlike my previous two trips to the hawthorns i got there completely by rail. this was a new experience and another small but significant step in my development as a baggies supporter. on my first visit, i came out completely on the wrong side of the pallasades complex to be able to negotiate my way by local rail to the hawthorns and ended up taking a taxi. this time, however, i found my way quite easily from birmingham new street to birmingham snow hill where a return fare to the hawthorns cost a modest £1.80.
as i exited the hawthorns station - which is about 300 yards south of the stadium itself - i saw the structure of the hawthorns looming in the distance under the cold, grey west midland sky. it was an impressive sight and i decided to take a photo. i was, however, unable to capture the true feeling of the moment.
as i continued down halford's lane with the early arriving baggies faithful - as well as a few small groups of blackpool supporters who'd come in by train - i quickly rifled through my pockets to get 3 quid in exact change ready for the programme vendor that i knew would be at the smethwick end gates. jerome thomas was on the cover of the day's issue.
i proceeded directly to the ticket office pick-up window. i found that the staff in the tickets department had already seen to it that the ticket to that day's match - which had become lost in mail - had already been replaced and was waiting for me in my home-tickets envelope. a second envelope for away matches contained my ticket for the game at swansea on the coming tuesday night. i thanked the guy at the window, purposefully slipped my members card back into my wallet and tucked my documents safely in the inside breast pocket of my coat.
then, and with due urgency, i headed for the club-shop where i had promised myself that the first thing i was going to do was buy a long-sleeve away shirt. the end of the season clear-out was on; the time of year when the current team jerseys/kit go on half-price sale, or end up as incentive giveaways as part of membership or subscription renewals. in view of the circumstance i bought a long sleeve home shirt as well. i then stocked up on a fair bit of small and sundry swag including a coffee mug, a double pack of baggies underwear, a dvd, scarf and a hat. i checked out, and with all immediate and pressing concerns seen to i had time for a smoke before going inside.
once inside the stadium, everybody was standing around or waiting in the various queues, having their pies and pints, making bets, chatting bullshit and football, as well as watching the last 10 minutes of the tottenham hotspur/blackburn rovers match on the overhead TVs before making a last dash for the toilets prior to kick-off.
i was both delighted and surprised when it was announced that ishmael miller would be given his first start since coming back from long-term injury and only having seen a couple of months worth of recuperative, first-team appearances as a post half-time substitute. this was a particularly exciting prospect and i hoped that the occasion might prove auspicious.
typically - and as in both my previous visits to the hawthorns - the baggies conceded first just on 6 minutes through an unstoppable shot by charlie adams from outside the box that bounced in off the left-hand post. i could see it coming and it was quite a good goal really. perhaps the albion back four could have closed down the move earlier; non-the-less, it was a well-placed effort and deserving of the goal. i heaved a hard, disappointed sigh in a moment that i realized i had lived before.
the mood completely changed when miller equalized. the young striker marked the occasion of his return as a first-team starter in style by scoring on 13 minutes from a perfectly placed through-ball from chris brunt. turning on the gas he completely outstripped the last blackpool defender before slotting the ball neatly through the legs of goalie, matthew gilks.
as they might be heard to say on occasion in the west midlands: "it's deja vu all over again!!"
the baggies typically controlled the game and robert koren finally put them ahead with a tremendous individual effort in the 52nd minute. the slovenian international delivered an absolutely perfect left-footed shot from outside the box, burying it in the top left-hand corner of matthew gilks' goal.
while the baggies probably deserved the lead, they did, however, always looked susceptible to the seasiders' counter-attack; and, at 2-1, all the goals had been the result of exceptional individual and team effort rather than defensive mistake. this all changed in the 72nd minute when the albion back-four allowed an incisive blackpool attack to penetrate down the left flank and provide an opportunity for a cross which brett ormerod headed home from point-blank range past an irate and flailing scott carson.
the baggies don't do anything the easy way and were lucky to get the benefit of a very close-call in the 77th minute as giles barnes was brought down on the edge of the area and was awarded a controversial penalty. graham dorrans scored from the spot and the albion hung on for what was a difficult - and perhaps unfair - but thoroughly deserved victory.
i'm not sure that i gained any huge insight into the comic black country pessimism that surrounds one in the environment of the hawthorns, but i certainly got a full dose and saw it at its most extreme today.
"well, that was a terrible game of football," i heard one older gentleman suggest to his mate at the sound of the final whistle.
back in london, and watching the football league show later that night, i saw the highlights and duly observed that it was reported as one of the better games played in the country that day.
"i think brunt looks like e's just about given up!" i heard another fellow saying later on behind me whilst standing in the queue for the trains back to west birmingham.
"they're going to be difficult to beat in the playoffs," he shook his head, continuing his assessment of the day's opposition.
brunt given up!?!?! playoffs!?!?! i thought to myself, did you miss the fact that brunty had a hand in creating both of our first two goals - one of them an absolutely perfect pass? and what the fuck are you talking about playoffs!?!?! PLAYOFFS - 'ey!!! nottingham forest lost again!!! what are you talking about???
"it's the centre-'alfs really... haven't had a decent centre-'alf since darren moore was 'ere."
it is something unfathomable that obviously runs deep and from the roots.
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