Our final away game of the season takes us to what I’ll always call St. Andrews, but I think it’s probably one of the ever increasing number of grounds that have the name of some company or other sponsoring it now – the only ground where I’d probably welcome a sponsor intruding into the stadium name is at the one with the blandest name of them all, Cardiff City Stadium.
Anyway, back to what this is supposed to be about, seven questions on Birmingham, with the answers appearing on here on Sunday.
60s. There were five goals scored in the last top flight meeting between City and Birmingham all scored by a couple of Welshmen, name them.
70s. Car clamp used by duck? (3,9)
80s. Who was selected in a UEFA European Championship team of the tournament more than a decade after appearing against us for Birmingham?
90s. Alternative start for tory voter? (6,6)
00s. Still turning out for Rossington Main, this winger set a Premier League record when he made his first appearance for his home town club. Later he was loaned to a bunch of Swedes and a pair of hatters, but established himself to become one of the team’s most valuable assets thanks to his healthy scoring rate for someone playing in his position. Birmingham eventually signed him after pursuing him for some time. One of his early appearances for them came in a losing cause against City, but he represented good value for money in his first season at St. Andrews even if subsequent campaigns were less successful due largely to injury. Loan spells to a couple of European trophy winners who had seen better days followed and he returned home after his release from St. Andrews before a short spell at a place with a wonky church. He was on the move again to a team that played in south Wales this week, prior to him linking up with roving Yorkshiremen. There was a first move down south to Hampshire non leaguers, then a brief return to the Football League with a side who received some bad news this week before he returned to Yorkshire to play for a team that used to represent a colliery. Who am I describing?
10s. With one hundred plus international caps, he holds a record as the only player from his country to have scored in successive World Cup Final tournaments and, in between times, he played for Birmingham, who?
20s. Farmer benefactor?
Answers:
60s. City were 3-2 winners over Birmingham in Division One match played at Ninian Park on 21 April 1962 in front of a crowd of just over 8,000 – Derek Tapscott scored a hat trick for us, with Ken Leek replying with a couple for Birmingham.
70s. Bob Latchford.
80s. David Seaman, named in the team of the tournament following Euro 96 played in both matches against us for Birmingham in 84/85.
90s.Trevor Aylott.
00s. Gary McSheffrey became the youngest Premier League player ever when he played for Coventry in a 4-1 win over Villa at the age of sixteen years and one hundred and ninety eight days (a record which lasted for four years). Loaned out to Swedish club IK Brage, Stockport and Luton, McSheffrey eventually became a regular for Coventry where he had a goalscoring record of close to one in every three matches. Signed by Birmingham for a seven figure fee, McSheffrey was in the Blues side beaten 2-0 at Ninian Park in August 2006, but ended that season as their top scorer in what was a promotion campaign. Injuries blighted the rest of his time at Birmingham though and, after being loaned to Leeds and Forest, he returned to Coventry on a free transfer before spells with Chesterfield, Scunthorpe, Doncaster, Eastleigh, Grimsby and Frickley Athletic.
10s. Jean Beausejour scored for Chile in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups and played for Birmingham between 2010 and 2012.
20s. George Friend – the name George is derived from a Greek word meaning farmer.