Michael Johnson, the Birmingham defender has claimed that Birmingham's tunnel 'banter' psyched Town out prior to the Worthington Cup semi-final second leg at St Andrew's.

The Jamaican international said: "We were chanting in the tunnel before the second leg of the match with Ipswich and most of it couldn't really be repeated in public! But it was all along the lines of 'Ipswich don't fancy it tonight' and 'we really want this' and 'they won't be able to play on this pitch'."

If you remember Birmingham's pitch rather resembled a moto-cross circuit that night. He continued: "We were fired up and they were just standing there all quiet and they didn't say a word back. I think we knew then that we had psyched them out and they wouldn't be able to play their normal game."

Of the final, to be played on a football pitch at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Johnson said: "But I don't know whether we will try the same against Liverpool. Ask me after we have played them! We have a lot of respect for Liverpool because of their players and their

history and they are enjoying tremendous success in several competitions this season. With Ipswich it was pointed out that they were virtually the same side as we had played in Division One last season. When you put it like that, we felt that we could win. We knew we'd done well against them before and didn't see how they could be

that different just because they'd won promotion."

Today's Do You Remember? star is early seventies keeper David Best. What do you remeber of his career? Were you at Stamford Bridge to see The Goal That Never Was? Click the link on the Messsage Board: http://www.twtd.co.uk/messages

Ipswich Town Polls