• 10 months ago
Birmingham World reporter Charlie Haffenden's reaction to Birmingham City 2-2 Swansea City in the Sky Bet Championship.
Transcript
00:00 Birmingham City 2, Swansea City 2 and Tony Mowbray's managerial debut here at St Andrews Stadium ends in a draw.
00:08 A sharing of points might not sound that impressive on paper, but when you consider the fashion it was done,
00:13 I think Blues fans were pretty happy with a 95th minute equaliser from Jordan James from the edge of the area,
00:18 about 25 yards out, striking hard on Mo to earn a point right to the death.
00:23 It didn't seem like it was going to happen, it seems as if it's going to be a very frustrating afternoon here.
00:27 Birmingham in the first half, probably the better team, creating the better chances, but a set-piece meant it was all undone.
00:33 Harry Darling scoring a header, that completely unmarked when even Sunyich got caught by a defender,
00:40 he was out-muscled and then out of position. Darling coming in and a great header to find a top-right stanchion to make it 1-0.
00:47 Siroky Dembele, who played very well I thought, a constant threat this afternoon, running out of players and having quite a few shots on target,
00:54 got a deserved goal a few minutes later to make it 1-1 almost instantly.
00:58 In the second half though, Jamal Lowe, who were pretty impressive and dangerous on the counter-attack,
01:03 got his deserved goal as well, it was a low cross to the near post and he poked it home first time,
01:09 a very clinical finish to give Swansea a 2-1 lead.
01:12 Frustration was growing around St Andrews as Birmingham didn't really offer as much going forward in the second period as they did in the first.
01:19 It seemed as if it was just going to be 2-1 to Swansea, but a few substitutions from Tony Mowbray, brave ones as well,
01:25 and Jordan James coming on in a very advanced position, but quite quiet to start with, but grew into the game.
01:31 The same could be said about Blues on the whole really in the final half an hour or so.
01:35 It was an added time when they came alive though, showed a real threat.
01:38 Juninho Picuna was in a, didn't have much space but worked it in the middle, just about got away from the Swansea midfielder,
01:44 played it into James and then, wow, it takes one touch and one finish to find that far corner.
01:49 Just shows, doesn't it, that as much as Blues might not impress throughout the whole period of 30 minutes,
01:55 just one opportunity is what's needed to get the goal and I suppose you could say the same for Swansea in a sense.
02:00 Two mistakes really from Blues, one from a set-piece and one letting them in on the transition, got them their goals.
02:06 So, probably a fair result here and Mowbray, plenty to take away from it both positively and negatively.

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