It’s home and away for Sky Blues after just missing out on Cup win
Ireally enjoyed Saturday’s FA Cup tie at St Andrew’s where the hosts League One Coventry City drew 1-1 with the ground landlords and ‘away’ team Birmingham City. My prediction that the Sky Blues would win nearly came true as Villa loanee and substitute Callum O’Hare missed great chance from close in with a half-empty net.
The Solihull-born midfielder will not miss one like that again!
It all worked so well off the pitch – 9,000-plus Coventry supporters were match by 10,000-plus Bluenoses in the away Railway End and the Old Stand. Great, good-natured banter over the seats and who was the ‘home’ side.
Well-behaved and in fine spirit. Take a bow, 21,193 spectators.
The result means you could hardly make it up.
Everything reversed for next Tuesday’s replay. The Royal Blues are the home side with what goes with that.
Coventry, for the first time this season at St Andrew’s, become the away team!
This time there has to be a result. I might shade the Sky Blues again.
Both have a packed fixture list, Coventry away to mid-table Fleetwood tonight before another League One mid-table team Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
Every game is so important for the Sky Blues’ promotion hopes.
They currently lie fourth, four points off the top and three behind the automatic second spot with TWO matches in hand.
Birmingham, ten points above the drop zone, are home to high-flying Nottingham Forest on Saturday and then (after Tuesday’s Cup replay) go to Bristol City on the Friday.
All these matches could be a factor in fitness for both Coventry and Birmingham in the replay.
There’s a lot of talk from the big clubs about reducing the FA Cup replays, but the competition is still the lifeblood for the small clubs such as Shrewsbury.
Sunday’s home tie with Liverpool was great TV and the League One team made a thrilling comeback from 0-2 to 2-2 and earn a replay at Anfield.
By the end of the exciting tie, there were plenty of the Premier League leaders’ big names such as Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino on the pitch!
Tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Villa Park is evenly poised with a place in the Wembley final awaiting the winners.
On paper, the neutrals will fancy in-form Leicester City, currently third in the Premier League and on course for a European Champions League spot. I went to the first leg at the King Power Stadium fully expecting the home side to win.
In the end, Leicester finished up having to equalise for a 1-1 result.
Now Villa have the home advantage with the 40,000-plus crowd in their favour.
They also have a new striker Mbwana Samatta from Genk who is expected to make his debut.
He is a proven goalscorer but what a match to start his new career in England.
Leicester City wait to see if their top scorer and key player Jamie Vardy will recover from a glute injury.
I have a hunch he will play. Kelechi Iheanacho has improved under manager Brendan Rodgers and scored the only goal in the fourth round FA Cup win at Brentford.
In the first leg of the semi-final against Villa, he came off the bench to score the equaliser. Rodgers’ team selection on Saturday proved he has depth in his squad.
Villa will certainly be better than their 4-1 defeat by Leicester at Villa Park earlier in the season but I expect Leicester to win. Tyrone Mings was injured in that game but was man of the match in the first leg, and his presence (like captain Jack Grealish) is so important for Villa – but Leicester have top players available in all positions.
In the King Power Stadium tie, Villa did not have a recognised striker.
For sure, it’s a match to really look forward to and it’s live on Sky Sports (7.45pm) kick-off.
Birmingham has so sporting facilities
many these days.
The Birmingham Arena is one of the busiest sporting and multi entertainment venues in the world.
As from April 1, it will be renamed the Utilita Arena, sponsored and named after the leading energy company who also sponsor this column. I am privileged to be their Ambassador and doubly pleased about the re-naming of the Arena because I hosted the public address opening with the Olympic gold medallist athlete Linford Christie in October 1991 (he won his gold the following year).
Utilita CEO Bill Bullen and his director of communications, Jem Maidment, know the value of the West Midlands and, with 800,000 visitors a year to the Arena, they are thrilled it will carry their name.
Utilita were formed in 2003 to help households and companies use and waste less energy.
My prediction that the Sky Blues would win nearly came true as substitute Callum O’Hare missed a great chance.