After a game where we dominated and only came out with a point, we were on the road again. And, this time we travelled to the St Andrew’s stadium to meet Birmingham. We were facing a team that has won one in their last five games; drawn one and lost three. Also, in their last game they suffered a heavy defeat, 3-0, to league leaders Burnley. We have drawn three games, lost one, won one and have previously drawn to struggling Blackpool in our last game. So, It was hard to say who were favourites.
WOW! I could not be happier. I was watching this game in my room on the Hull City channel, and It was one of the more enjoyable games to watch at home. Apart from the Rotherham game, this has to be one of the best wins on the road of the season. We dominated in every aspect, and we could have scored more to be honest. I can definitely see a huge improvement with the team since Rosenior took over, and if he can keep it up then I see us having a good chance for the playoffs.
Our line-up consisted of: Matt Ingram (in goal); Jacob Greaves; Alfie Jones; Cyrus Christie (as the back four); Jean Seri; Greg Docherty; Regan Slater (as the middle three); Allahyar Sayyadmanesh; Oscar Estupinan and Ryan Longman (as the front three). Again, another starting eleven with Sayyadmanesh replacing Tyler Smith and Docherty replacing Ryan Woods. I had no complaints with the squad, the defence could not be stronger and every other department was very strong; especially with Sayyadmanesh anchoring the left wing and Docherty bossing the middle. I have to say that these two starting made a huge difference with the way the team played; they brought more threat and energy.
In the first period, I only caught 25 minutes as the link was breaking up and it went off. However, I was impressed with what I saw; we kept the ball well and were attacking as soon as we got the ball. It seemed that the going backwards and passing back to the goalkeeper has been cut out, which is brilliant to see. I only had to see us defend a couple of attacks from the opposition, but we dealt with the situations well. The defence had good communication, and they just booted the ball away when they got into the box. It was like I was watching a completely different team. A lot of chances were created by us; however, we are still unable to finish. This had to be the only issue we had in the first half, and the referee was much better, despite booking Sayyadmanesh. Nothing to complain about in that half, and Birmingham were just sitting back, which made me confident for the next half.
I think having Sayyadmanesh back in the squad made a huge difference to the way we played. Without him, we did not really have anybody on the wing driving up the pitch and getting in first time crosses. He was a huge miss, and I hope that was the last injury he gets. The whole team was playing well together, passing was pinpoint and we were getting it over the top; sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not. We had a clear idea about what we were doing, and every player was confident.
The second half was quite different from the first. Both teams had time on the ball, and it was more equal. But, it was us who continued to threaten, and we had the ball in the back of the net in the 68th minute; however, it was denied by the offside flag. From my point of view, I did not think it was offside. Christie put in a threatening cross, it was missed by Estupinan but Ryan Longman was there to finish it off. The channel I was watching it on did not show us the replay so I could not say if it was or not. Anyways, it was a confidence booster for us. Sayyadmanesh was taken off for Tyler Smith, meaning that Rosenior had no indication that he wanted to go defensive. It was a smart idea, as in the 77th minute we took the lead. Again, it was Christie who ran into the box, laid it on to Oscar, for him to go on and put it into the net. This time it counted, and the fans behind the goal could get the flares out – when Ryan Longman put the ball in the net, they set flares off only to realise that it was offside – and celebrate properly. It was well deserved to be honest as our away form this season has not been great. After the goal, it was The Blues turn to come at us. We instantly changed to a defensive tactic, as Figueiredo and Elder replaced Slater and Longman. We were able to hold on, and the game ended 0-1 to us.
Throughout the game, Longman and Christie were by far my favourite players, and it is between them for man of the match; Longman is starting to grow on me, despite his shaky start to the season, and Christie always fails to disappoint. They are both key players to our team, and they will just improve the more they play.
Finally, we have won a game where we dominated. It has been a long time since I have watched them win, and I have confidence going into our next game. I hope we bring the same tactics, determination and energy into our next game, where we travel to the DW Stadium to face bottom of the table, Wigan. I can happily say that I am travelling to this game, and I will also be on a podcast. With luck, let’s get those three points and rise higher in the table.