GARY NEWBON Che gives Blues head start if points deduction comes
CHE Adams is hot, very hot. No wonder Birmingham City refused £12 million from Burnley recently. If the 22-year-old striker scores in tonight’s home match with Bolton he will equal the club’s greatest player Trevor Francis’ record of scoring in seven successive league games. Francis achieved that in 1978.
I would bet money on that and if he stays free of injury he could surpass that on Saturday week with the home match against Blackburn Rovers.
I was at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday as the guest of Rangers’ chief executive Lee Hoos to witness a first-half hat-trick by Adams as Blues raced into a four-goal lead.
The next Adams goal will be his 20th in the league this season, which was last done by Steve Claridge (with 25) in 1995.
Birmingham need every point going as the EFL are expected to make a points deduction, possibly 12, for breaking the financial fair play rules.
It is such a pity because the way Garry Monk now has his team going they are only four points outside the play-off places.
Saturday’s match at Loftus Road was amazing and very exciting at the end. Blues goalkeeper Lee Camp was a hero after QPR had come back to 4-3 and were then awarded a 93rdminute penalty.
After a delay while the fussy referee Mr Bond talked to the players about not encroaching, Camp (a former QPR player) saved the spot-kick from Rangers’ top scorer, Nahki Wells.
Aston Villa, who are two points behind Blues, were also involved in a remarkable thriller on Friday at home to high-flying Sheffield United but, unlike Birmingham, had to settle for one point. They should be grateful for that.
Villa were 3-0 down with just eight minutes to go but pulled back to finish 3-3 – their 14th draw of the season, which is the most in the Championship.
They really have to win at Brentford tomorrow night
(live on Sky Sports) and then at home to fourthplaced West Bromwich Albion in a local derby on Saturday.
They have to keep in touch at this stage of the season for play-off ambitions.
In practical terms, Villa can forget about automatic promotion.
Will they make the play-offs? They have drawn more than they have won – Villa have to change that.
The Championship does have strange results at times. The Baggies have a tight fit in the current play-off positions and are at home to Nottingham Forest in tonight’s main live match on Sky Sports (kick-off 8pm).
They are the division’s top scorers with 60 goals from 30 games. Dwight Gayle’s winner at Stoke on Saturday was his 16th while Jay Rodriguez has 15. That tells a big story! The week also saw the 40th anniversary of Francis leaving Birmingham for Forest to become the first £1million footballer. He went on to continue a great career, including a European Cup winner and 52 England caps. He was a highly talented professional player for 23 years – from 16 to 39 years of age.
He complains he is always introduced at sporting events as the first £1million player as if that is the only thing he achieved.
Well, I am guilty on that count (although I always cover his other achievements) because it is a milestone in football transfer history… And Brian Clough knew what a great investment it was! COVENTRY City, at last, picked up their first League One win since New Year’s Day on a ground where they had never previously won – Rochdale.
The Sky Blues’ emergency loan goalie David
Stockdale (out of favour at Birmingham, pictured) played his part with a vital save after Jordy Hiwula scored the game’s only goal.
Not long ago Stockdale was Brighton’s player of the season when they were promoted to the Premier League.
Coventry are seven points adrift of the lowest play-off spot and have played two extra games.
It looks too big an ask for promotion this season.
Their next match is at home on Saturday to struggling Walsall, who will have to recover from their own game with AFC Wimbledon this evening. I WAS so sad to learn of the deaths in the last few days of two great Midland scrum-halves who also played for England – Coventry’s Bill Gittings and Moseley’s Jan Webster. I knew both over the years.