Bright Osayi-Samuel and Jack Taylor square up during a fiery encounter. (Image: Ross Halls)
NEW RIVALRY BORN
I’d love to know the ball in play time for this match. It won’t have been high.
The action was intense, fiery, stop-start. In the end, the foul count reached 38. “It wasn’t great quality,” conceded Kieran McKenna. He’s right. Only occasionally did a football match break out.
Birmingham players fed off the adrenaline of the crowd and occasion. Having dominated possession and duels in the early exchanges, they cramped up in the second half and resorted to some dark arts in an attempt to protect the lead.
Ashley Young was given dog’s abuse by the febrile St Andrew’s crowd as a former Aston Villa man. Kyogo Furuhashi stood on Jacob Greaves’ planted ankle after the ball was gone. Alex Cochrane left a bit on Sammie Szmodics too. Ipswich players refused to back down.
It all came to a boiling point when George Hirst bagged the 95th minute equaliser from the spot. The Town striker cupped his ears to the home fans and shouted ‘that’s what I do’. Objects were thrown on the pitch. Conor Chaplin booted the ball into crowd. Christoph Klarner barged into Chaplin, players tussled in front of the advertising hoardings and a Birmingham fan ran forward to throw a punch at Jack Taylor.
A new rivalry is born. The reverse fixture, at Portman Road on Easter Monday, could be tasty.
Jacob Greaves (left) was awarded a foul for this collision with Kyogo Furuhashi. Seconds later, Birmingham had the ball in the back of the net. (Image: PA)
KIND CALLS
Town didn’t get a lot of luck when it came to refereeing and VAR decisions in the Premier League. They were the beneficiaries of a couple of controversial calls in this game though.
Birmingham had the ball in the back of the net in the eighth minute when Kyogo lobbed Alex Palmer. The whistle had blown, however, for a foul. Did the Japanese striker jump into Jacob Greaves? Yes. Was it excessive force? That’s debateable. Greaves certainly shouldn’t have let the ball bounce in the first place.
Then there’s the crucial penalty award. Lyndon Dykes, as is natural, used his arms to jump when contesting a corner delivery. As he fell, the ball grazed his flailing hand.
By the letter of the law, both those big calls were correct. They were undoubtedly soft in the extreme though.
Azor Matusiwa (obscured) is dispossessed by Jay Stanfield. (Image: Ross Halls) AZOR’S ADAPTATION
This was the sort of game that Town could have done with Sam Morsy’s aggression and control. For his replacement, Azor Matusiwa, it was something of a baptism of fire. At times, the Dutchman was caught out by the speed of the chaotic action.
You can see his qualities though. He has energy, can tackle and pick pass. The 27-year-old just needs a period of adaptation. Having his former Reims team-mate Jens Cajuste alongside him in midfield soon could help with that.
Ben Johnson was given a torrid time by Keshi Anderson in the first half, but he was playing as an out-and-out right-back for the first time in a while. This was his first taste of the Championship. Again, let him find his feet.
Conor Chaplin had a big impact off the bench. (Image: Ross Halls) IMPACT SUBS
It had been a quiet/frustrating evening from the attacking trio of Chiedozie Ogbene (first competitive start in more than nine months), Sammie Szmodics (spurned a good first half chance) and Jack Clarke (just couldn’t get in the game). Hirst had been left isolated and in a one-man fight against centre-halves.
Conor Chaplin came on and produced clever movement and sharp first time touches. For me, the attack looks more joined up with him in it. Nathan Broadhead produced a fired up cameo that suggested he is still very much playing for the badge, despite interest from his boyhood club Wrexham. And Ali Al-Hamadi provided energy and drive on the right wing.
Young oozed elite experience when coming on a right-back, while Cameron Humphreys was a cool head when replacing Matusiwa late on. The quintet all helped Ipswich build some pressure leading up to the late leveller. To be fair to the ones they replaced, they were facing tired legs.
Town’s squad undoubtedly lacks the depth that Kieran McKenna wants for the marathon ahead, but the above does show that it’s not exactly wafer thin either.
Super subs eventually grinding teams down – and last-gasp goals – proved to be the Blues’ super strengths in 2023/24. Hopefully that can be the case again.
George Hirst celebrates with the travelling Ipswich Town fans after his late penalty salvaged a point at Birmingham City. (Image: Ross Halls) TAKING THE POSITIVES
I’ve seen a fair bit of negativity about this performance, but I’m choosing to focus on the positives.
One of the hardest fixtures of the season came at a time when Ipswich are still rebuilding their squad, confidence and chemistry. Birmingham haven’t lost a league game at St Andrew’s since April 2024 and the place was rocking. For all their possession during a dominant start to the game, they didn’t create loads of clear cut chances. They threw everything they had at Town and still couldn’t win.
I wouldn’t say this was a complete smash and grab. The penalty may have been fortuitous, but Ipswich responded well to going behind and were finishing the stronger. The stats ended up pretty even.
It’s often said that the sign of a good side is one that can find a way to get a result when not at their best. Reinforcements and improvements are required, but McKenna knows that. I’m confident both will happen.
Welcome back to the Championship! There will be plenty more games like this along the way. There are certainly some more tough tests on the near horizon. Ipswich, thankfully, have shown they are up for the fight.