More like footbrawl than football – Birmingham 2 Newcastle 3

The Mag

·09 de fevereiro de 2025

More like footbrawl than football – Birmingham 2 Newcastle 3

After the spectacle at St James’ park on Wednesday night, it was down to the Midlands to face League One leaders Birmingham City.

Unsurprisingly, there were changes from the battling brilliance that secured our spot at Wembley. Nine in all, as every player bar Bruno and Burn were rested.

Vídeos OneFootball

There was a time not so many years ago that a weakened team in the FA Cup was commonplace and typically led to our elimination. Anything beyond the third round was considered a burden that may meddle with our ultimate goal of a successful season of finishing 17th or above.

Nowadays there is strength in depth. Maybe not to the degree of some Premier League clubs, but certainly enough to trust the squad players to get us into the fifth round, at least on paper anyway.

Birmingham won a corner pretty much straight from the kick-off and after 43 seconds had the lead. A deep corner was headed back and the resulting shot deflected off Wilson to give the hosts the advantage.

Not ideal, but if you’re going to go behind, it might as well be as early as possible. It couldn’t have been much earlier!

As Newcastle grew into the game, Wilson got a couple of lucky breaks to escape down the left. He delivered a good ball into the middle which Osula met from the right, playing it into the danger area. Willock shot from four yards out, but the ball was parried by the keeper, it came back to Willock who smashed it over the bar. For a few seconds Willock looked dismayed but then the referee indicated that a goal had been given. The linesman saving his blushes, flagged that the ball had crossed the line. With no goal line technology or VAR, the goal stood, but I think you’d have to be pretty generous to argue the whole of the ball crossed the line.

Osula looked bright, eager and fired up and made a good run and had a decent strike saved by the keeper. He picked up the rebound and retained possession, before knocking it back to Longstaff who played it forward to Livramento wide right. The full-back squared across the six yard box but Willock’s attempt was blocked. Osula followed up with the goal at his mercy but inexplicably struck the ball onto his standing foot from point blank range. The ball popped into the air and our penalty box poacher did what he does best. Callum Wilson stabbing us into the lead to get his first of a personally frustrating season.

Birmingham had their chances to level up, putting a header wide and Pope comfortably saving a scuffed strike. Willock had the ball in the net again not long before half-time. A long ball was headed on which Willock hit against the keeper, the ball bouncing back onto our man and rebounding into the open net, but the flag was rightly up for offside.

In a half of scruffy goals, Birmingham would have the last word with the best strike of the match.

A deep cross was headed out of the box by Targett but Iwata struck it sweetly, on the second bounce, the ball swerving into the top corner, giving Pope zero chance to avoid the scores levelling up.

The second half was more like footbrawl than football. Tensions had simmered at times in the first half but the second became an absolute slugfest. I half imagined their minority shareholder Tom Brady had taken training in the week.

Osula must have thought he was in a Royal Rumble at times, getting battered on and with every available body part. It was amazing that Birmingham came out of the game with only four yellow cards. There weren’t many in the team that didn’t deserve to go into the book and the biggest irony was that the most serious injury on the night was to one of their players, who ended up stretchered off after sliding in on Miley who caught him accidentally with his studs.

Burn also had to go off feeling a strain and both Schar and Willock found themselves clattering into advertising hoardings after unsavoury and unnecessary physicality.

It was a relief to see Wilson make it through fifty five minutes of football. We shouldn’t write him off. He’s had an injury hit career at Newcastle but this season has been by far the worst. There are only three months of the season left; if he can stay fit, I think he can have a huge part to play. He was subbed for Murphy, with Osula going into the central role.

Osula is an interesting character. He’s clearly powerful and pacey but he reminds me a bit of a rottweiler I used to have when she played with a ball. He bounds about with relentless energy, the ball bouncing unpredictably everywhere. He had a lot of good moments but didn’t always look in full control. The way he managed to miss from a couple of yards out by hitting the ball against himself was almost as physics defying as the time Joelinton kicked the ball against his own head. There’s certainly a player in there but he needs more minutes and possibly a loan spell next season.

Speaking of Joelinton, this was a game made for him as the bully boy Blues continued their intimidation tactics, but it was us who would achieve the actual aim of football and hit the back of the net once more.

Livramento had the ball on the edge of the box and played it forward to the inside out run of Longstaff. The Geordie crossed low to Willock who entered the six yard box once more to smash a low strike through the keeper’s legs.

Pope made a great save with his legs to keep us ahead and then Murphy had a chance to wrap things up. He latched onto a sumptuous Willock through ball. His first touch bounced up awkwardly into his midriff. He managed to compose himself, face up and round the keeper but the last man got back to block his shot off the line.

There were twelves minutes of injury time to see out after the lengthy injury delay and the routine clattering our lads received.

The game finished Birmingham City 2 Newcastle United 3 and a place in the fifth round was secured. The double is still on!

Birmingham 2 Newcastle 3 – Saturday 8 February 2025 5.45pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Willock 21, 82 Wilson 26

Birmingham:

Laird 1, Iwata 40

(Half-time stats in brackets)

Possession was Newcastle 63% (63%) Birmingham 37% (37%)

Total shots were Newcastle 16 (7) Birmingham 11 (6)

Shots on target were Newcastle 9 (5) Birmingham 6 (5)