IF YOU were to compare this Birmingham-Black Country spat to those of recent vintage then it was all very tame, all told.

Mark McGhee wind-ups, Martin Grainger v Kevin Muscat, Craig Gardner’s sending-off last season; there is usually something to get het up about.

Not so on Saturday, apart from the Roger Johnson issue and Colin Doyle, once more, proving to be an inspired barrier to Wolves’ ambitions.

The crowd was paltry too – 14,594 – and although the draw wasn’t the ideal result for either manager, neither Blues nor Wolves seemed hell bent, or capable perhaps, of taking the third-round tie by the scruff of its neck and making it of high importance.

And there was an irony in that Blues, the Championship side, made more changes to their starting line-up (seven), and held regulars in reserve.

Wolves’ team was very strong, and with a free week until their next game – Blues have a key Championship match in hand on Wednesday – you might have expected them to be the dominant, assertive Goliath putting David in his place.

But it wasn’t like that and, if anything, Blues came away heartened and Wolves more than a little concerned.

Doyle’s superb double save in the fourth minute of stoppage time was the highlight of an affair full of endeavour but bereft of inspiration. He tipped Matt Jarvis’s curving shot on to the post and then recovered swiftly to knock away Steven Fletcher’s headed follow-up from close range with his right arm.

It jogged memories of his Molineux heroics in 2007, when he saved Michael McIndoe’s penalty three minutes into added time to secure a 3-2 win for Blues.

That all but clinched promotion and Steve Bruce, watching as a guest in the old directors’ box, must have smiled wistfully.

To Doyle’s credit, he came in from the cold and had a fine game all round.

It hasn’t been easy for him backing up Maik Taylor, Joe Hart, Ben Foster and now Boaz Myhill.

And a lot of the pre-match chatter was about the possibility of Jack Butland being given his debut.

As it transpired, Butland was on the bench and Myhill handed the afternoon off.

And Doyle’s long-term future does appear to be away from St Andrew’s.

He has six months left on his contract and wants to be a regular and, with Myhill on loan, Butland seems the chosen one being groomed.