Blues skipper Martin O'Connor won the Birmingham derby for his side with a second-half strike in a passionate encounter at St Andrews. O'Connor (pictured), outstanding at the heart of Blues' midfield, latched on to a Bryan Hughes lay-off and fired a powerful shot past Brian Jensen in the Baggies' goal.
Albion could have equalised in injury time but Lee Hughes, who had been well shackled throughout the game, fired his best chance of the game wide of the post. A large 25,025 crowd were treated to a full-blooded derby which began at a helter-skelter pace and never slowed down. The first half was a tale of two goals in two minutes. Baggies started well but Blues fought their way back into the game and were worth their lead when Dele Adebola (pictured), who earlier squandered two easy chances, headed past Jensen in the 36th minute.
It was a short-lived lead however. Birmingham fell asleep at the restart and conceded a free-kick in deep in their own territory. Baggies captain Ruel Fox drifted a dangerous cross into the home team's penalty area and Tony Butler ghosted in at the back post to nod home the equaliser. Blues now move one point ahead of West Brom in the First Division promotion race. |
