Aston Villa 0, Birmingham City 0: Mat Kendrick's Big-match verdict
Nov 1 2010 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail
FROM the moment a fan was harshly kicked out of Villa Park for humorously tumbling over an advertising hoarding after heading back a ball, it was destined to be a day of apparent injustices.
But, while both rivals departed the 119th Second City derby debating dubious decisions and feeling slightly hard done by, there was no denying that the ultimate outcome of a bore draw was fair.
If Blues felt they should have had a penalty for Nigel Reo-Coker’s handball, then Villa reckoned they should have had one for Ben Foster pole-axing Ciaran Clark. If the hosts thought Nikola Zigic’s elbow on James Collins was a sending off offence, then ditto the visitors’ view of Reo-Coker’s kick at Craig Gardner. And so on and so forth.
Just like the solitary point and solitary goal scored which separates them in the Premier League table, there was very little to choose between the fierce rivals on an afternoon when neither team deserved to win or lose and a point apiece was exactly right.
In a roundabout way, justice was even done for the unfortunate fella in the Witton Lane stand who was escorted out by over-zealous stewards for unintentionally falling onto the field whilst getting his bonce to an errant ball. Because by providing the highlight of the game – at least he got to miss the rest of an uninspiring derby clash.
Such has been Villa’s dominance that anything less than making it a Magnificent Seven straight wins was always going to frustrate the claret and blue faithful.
On the day the clocks went back at least Blues didn’t turn back time to March 2005 when they enjoyed their last victory over Villa.
But the fact that those lot from down the road were at last able to nullify their nuisance neighbours without too much trouble was a source of concern. Many Villa fans left feeling their team hadn’t quite been brave enough – not in the tackle but in their gameplan.
