Rampant reserves give rivals the blues
Last updated : 17 September 2004 By Pancho Villa
Man-of-the-match Steven Davis and Luke Moore were the conduits of much of the home side’s positive play, and both scored in a vibrant attacking performance by Kevin MacDonald’s men.
Davis could have opened the scoring as early as the fourth minute, after a powerful run by the roving Moore won his side a corner. But Davis' goalbound effort from the subsequent dead-ball was scrambled away by Colin Doyle in the Birmingham goal.
Birmingham came into the game sitting atop the reserve league and yet to concede a goal this season, but that record was always under threat as the home side launched wave after wave of attack.
Moore should have broken the deadlock just after the half hour after he met an O’Conner cross from the left, but his shot from 12 yards went over.
Although Birmingham were enjoying a lot of possession they rarely threatened Stefan Postma’s goal and in first-half stoppage time Gardner finally gave the home side the lead after Nix helped on Ward’s rasping cross following a surging run from the vibrant Davis.
Villa started the second period as they ended the first with both Cooke and Moore testing the beleaguered Doyle. But on 58 minutes they found themselves level after the Blues’ best player, the superbly named Andrew Barrowman, fresh from playing cricket in the 1920s, squared the ball to Carter to slot home.
Parity lasted less than a minute though before the waspish Moore belatedly found the net. Villa full-back O’Conner then demonstrated his class at both ends, first testing Doyle with a low drive before denying Carter with the itinerant Blues man baring down on goal.
Davis then finally found the goal his performance had merited after combining with Moore and angling a drive past Doyle. Taylor deflected Moore’s cross into his own net three minutes from time after the indefatigable Villa striker had rounded the Blues keeper.
Team: Postma, Ward, O’Connor, Cahill, Drobny, Berson, Cooke (Paul, 61), Davis, Moore, Nix, Gardner (Aaritalo, 75).
Goals: Gardner, Moore, Davis, Tyler (o.g.).
