We are getting towards the business end of the season, and today’s frantic, hard fought derby matches will be tough going for the viewer in more ways than one. Derby games in the winter months aren’t pretty. But one thing they usually are is action packed. Although, Villa and Blues played out a more than mild first-half earlier today, the game kicked in to life in the second period with both sides taking a point. Whilst a point is not much good to either of them, giving three points to the other side would have been a catastophe as things hot up at the bottom of the table.
Two defenders got the goals with Roger Johnson giving Birmingham the lead early in the second-half, only for James Collins’ deflected goal to peg them back with just over fifteen minutes remaining. It was also a share of the spoils in the North-East derby, but Sunderland left it a lot later with their equaliser coming with 90 minutes on the clock through Asamoah Gyan. Kevin Nolan had given the Magpies a second-half lead.
As I write, one of the biggest local derbies in English football is about to kick-off with the hype continuing to surround the return of Kenny Dalglish. What odds Everton spoiling the party? David Moyes’ men are in a far better run of form in the league at present. Dalglish takes the reigns at Anfield for the first time in this spell as manager of the famous Anfield club. But the boss is without Liverpool born leaders Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard. As Villa, Blues, Newcastle and Sunderland fans can begin to relax after the trials and tribulations of their Sunday afternoon, the Liverpool and Everton fans are just beginning the torment.
photo credit: Vincent Teeuwen
