Birmingham City fans tell us where they were when the Blues got promoted

May 5 2009 By Steve Wollaston

Lee from Sheldon: After missing out on getting a ticket and after the performance against Preston the previous week, I decided I simply could not handle the stress and pressure of watching the game on TV. So I decided I would take the family to the caravan at Billing Aquadrome in Northamptonshire.

"Turn the phone off, do a bit off fishing and catch the result on teletext later that day" I thought to myself.

Having done similar things in the past for games against the V***a. These games are too important and my heart simply can’t handle it unless I'm at the match. On the morning of the game and after numerous texts and phone calls from friends that were lucky enough to get tickets my adrenaline started pumping. "What am I thinking" I lambasted myself...."of course I'm going to watch it!!"… I can't miss this!

On campus at Billing Aquadrome there are numerous bars and after deciding on the bar closest too me, I bought myself a pint and sat down with a fellow season ticket holder to nervously see in the final game of the season. As we were watching the pre-match build up to our utter astonishment, the channel changed. The manager of bar had decided the Liverpool game was to be shown instead as a laid back local in his Liverpool top emblazoned with Torres on the back got the nod over a couple of pale Brummies almost passing out with nervous energy in the corner.

"Are you joking" was my response to a somewhat bemused manager, "do you not understand the importance of the game??" His response was gut churning when he said that they have too many Liverpool fans in to not show the game. That's Northamptonshire for you!

So that was it, my calm, escape stresses of Blues get away weekend turned into blind panic as with 25 minutes to go before kick off we were dashing around like lunatics trying to find a bar showing the game. Eventually the final bar we tried had a sign in the window "Reading v Birmingham Live Here". 5 minutes till kick off. Great.

There was a small congregation of fellow bluenoses huddled under one telly in the corner, as a bunch of weirdo's had motorbike racing on the big screen. And it was from this seat we urged the lads onto victory. They did us proud.

We never did get any fishing done.

Keep Right On!!

Graeme Wilson: I turn 50 this year and am a Birmingham City tragic since 1973. My good friend Paul Stokes and I played soccer as kids in Rotorua, New Zealand and used to watch the Big Match on Sunday mornings and dream of one day playing in the then first division.

While all our mates were going for the likes of Man U and Liverpool, we decided to detach ourselves from the mob and find a couple of teams with some meaning to us. Paul’s choice was a no-brainer and he has been a Stoke City fan ever since and is finally enjoying some good times.

I learned my grandparents were from Birmingham and logically chose City without realising Villa was also a Birmingham team…imagine how much easier my life would have been if I’d only done a bit more research. As Paul remarked before last weekend’s showdown with Reading, just imagine how much less angst we would have suffered if only his name was Paul Arse and my grandparents had lived a stone’s throw from Old Trafford!

Having said that, the highs are so much higher when you have suffered so many lows. I was away from home (Brisbane, Australia) for the weekend and unable to access TV or the internet so relied on a couple of mates to text me the result. I awoke to a text around midnight from one mate more closely aligned with football of a different kind (rugby union) who had arrived home from the pub, checked the internet and texted that Blues had lost 2-1.

Unfortunately, in his ignorance he had picked up the previous week’s score so I spent a sleepless night tossing and turning about the injustices of the world and fretting about the pending play-offs and how our third and final chance at promotion would go…I’ve read many comments from Blues fans leading up to the final couple or games and it seems we’re a pretty pessimistic lot by nature, most likely through bitter experience over many years.

Imagine my delight when I arrived home from a 6am walk (I was so disappointed that I couldn’t sleep) to a hug and a congratulatory high-five from my daughter who’d taken a call from another mate of mine with the actual result…the smile hasn’t left my face since.

I’ve already discussed the upcoming season with my mate Paul and we dream of getting together for my 50th on September 13 where, fixture list allowing with all the stars aligning, Blues host Stoke at St Andrews. I could then die a happy man (although trying to get this past my wife would probably be the death of me anyway!) Keep Right On!