Birmingham 2-2 Town Tuesday, 19th Aug 2014 21:53 Christophe Berra netted twice, the second deep into injury time, as Town grabbed a 2-2 draw at Birmingham having been behind twice. David Edgar put the home side in front on the half hour, Berra equalised for the Blues five minutes after the break, Clayton Donaldson put Birmingham back in front before the Scottish international’s late, late leveller. Boss Mick McCarthy handed new loan signing Conor Sammon his full debut and Paul Anderson his first start of the season with David McGoldrick - who had started only his first game since returning from injury at Reading - and Elliott Hewitt dropping to the bench. The game got off to a quiet start, skipper Luke Chambers weakly hitting the first shot through to home keeper Darren Randolph from distance in the sixth minute. Town, in orange, had had the better of the opening spell and seriously threatened for the first time in the 10th minute. Anderson’s cross from the left found Jay Tabb, whose shot deflected to Daryl Murphy, but keeper Randolph saved the Irishman’s 10-yard effort. Anderson, who had temporarily switched flanks with Tabb, got away down the left again in the 13th minute but Sammon was unable to do anything with his cross and the ball ran back out wide. However, the Blues midfielder's subsequent strike flew a long way past the post. There was a scare for the Blues in the 15th minute when Dean Gerken dropped the ball from a Jonathan Grounds freekick from halfway. The keeper felt he had been fouled but Lee Novak in any case sent the loose ball well over. Two minutes later, the former Huddersfield man headed Paul Caddis’s right-wing cross straight at Gerken. The Blues then had a couple of opportunities to break the deadlock at the other end. Tabb, who was back on the left, brought the ball inside and fed Luke Hyam but the midfielder scuffed his shot. The loose ball fell to Murphy but the striker’s mis-hit effort looped well wide. Novak shot wide for the home side in the 23rd minute, then at the other end Chambers beat Clayton Donaldson in a challenge midway inside the Birmingham half but then scraped a poor effort well wide. Birmingham weren’t too far away from going in front on 25 when David Cotterill found himself space on the right and crossed low towards Donaldson, but the former Crewe man diverted the ball wide from six yards. On 29 Cotterill sent over another dangerous right-wing cross which Wes Thomas flicked on to Novak at the far post, but Gerken blocked, the ball going out of play off the Birmingham man. The home team were looking increasingly threatening and right on the half hour they went in front. Cotterill sent over a corner from the right and an unmarked Edgar powered a header home. Birmingham celebrated as skipper Chambers, Tommy Smith and Christophe Berra began an inquest into who ought to have been looking after the former Burnley man. After an Anderson freekick on the right had come to nothing, Novak hit a powerful strike wide for the home team, who ended an 18-game home winless run by beating Brighton 1-0 at the weekend. Murphy did well to find the space to cross from the right in the 37th minute but Sammon was unable to get to the ball and goalscorer Edgar cleared. Town couldn’t complain too much about the scoreline at the break. After a subdued start the Blues had got on top and created one or two chances but had failed to take them. As was the case in the first half at Reading, the home side gradually gained the ascendency and the goal - as on Saturday a very preventable one - had looked increasingly likely when it came. In the remaining quarter of an hour, the Blues, lacking the spark usually provided by the on-the-bench McGoldrick, never seriously looked like grabbing an equaliser. But five minutes after the restart, the did get back on terms. Anderson sent over a freekick from the right and Berra flicked - or at least claimed to have flicked - into the net at the far post. Whether the Scottish international - who scored his first goal in English football in the corresponding fixture last year - did get a touch wasn’t immediately clear. Having looked somewhat lacklustre before the break, the momentum was suddenly with the Blues. A minute later Murphy nodded Anderson’s cross only just past Randolph’s post. Keeper Randolph did well to push Anderson’s well-struck 20-yard effort wide on 67, then from the resultant corner Murphy headed over when unmarked. As the match reached the hour mark McGoldrick replaced Sammon for Town, while Stephen Gleeson took over from David Davis in midfield for the home side. Three minutes later, the home side got their noses back in front. Town were in possession and on the attack but Cole Skuse’s pass was blocked by Gleeson just inside the Birmingham half. The ball fell to Thomas, who sent Donaldson away behind the Town defence and the striker slipped home just before Berra slid in to challenge. Again it was a poor goal to concede and manager McCarthy took out his frustrations on the dug-out. McGoldrick shot wide, then Chambers headed over from a corner for the Blues, then the home side had an even better opportunity when Novak was found in space on the left but Donaldson directed his cross well wide when he ought to have done better. Grant Hall headed a Cotterill cross over on 70, then as the game moved into its final quarter of an hour a strong Mings run down the left ended with a low cross which Hall cut out. Alex Henshall and Balint Bajner replaced Tabb and Murphy for the final 10 minutes, while Denny Johstone took over from the lively Thomas for Birmingham. The Blues for fortunate not to have penalty awarded against them on 82 when Caddis skipped into the area and looked to be tripped by Smith. However, referee Roger East wasn’t interested. As the game moved towards its final five minutes Henshall crossed from the left and Chambers’s goal-bound header was blocked by Jonathan Grounds. The Blues didn’t threaten again before the fourth official signalled five additional minutes. McGoldrick looped a Bajner cross from the left into Randolph’s arms but if anything Birmingham looked the more likely scorers, Donaldson failing to find a team-mate with a low cross then losing out to Mings as the ball was played down the middle. However, with three minutes of injury time gone, the Blues levelled. Bajner flicked on Mings’s long ball, Anderson crossed and Berra - who had been pushed forward for the final moments - dived to powerfully head home his second goal of the game. Town even threatened to pull off an unlikely win seconds before the whistle with the home side making heavy weather of defending a freekick before Randolph claimed. A defeat would have been somewhat hard on Birmingham who will feel aggrieved that they failed to pick up all three points having been ahead so late in the game and having had what looked a clear-cut penalty turned down. For Town, it was very much a point gained after twice going behind to poor goals and having been on the right end of the contentious penalty decision. After getting back on terms and with the momentum with them, the Blues surrendered the impetus and there really ought to have been no way back into the game by the time Berra - who must love St Andrew's having score three goals in his last two games there - netted his second equaliser of the match. Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Berra, Smith, Mings, Skuse, Hyam, Tabb (Henshall 80), Anderson, Murphy (Bajner 80), Sammon (McGoldrick 60). Unused: Bialkowski, Parr, Hewitt, Bru. Birmingham: Randolph, Grounds, Caddis, Edgar, Spector, Hall, Davis (Gleeson 60), Cotterill (Robinson 88), Novak, Donaldson, Thomas (Johnstone 80). Unused: Doyle, Duffy, Brown, Gray. Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire). Att: 14,022 (Town: 790).
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