Hamer does his level best
BORN in Brazil, brought up in Holland – and pulling the strings for Coventry.
Gustavo Hamer became the Sky Blues’ top scorer after his fifth goal of the season delivered a point in the battle between landlord and tenants.
But flip the coin and Hamer leads the way in bookings and dismissals. His yellow card yesterday was the seventh of the season and there is a red card too.
Devil or angel, the playmaking midfielder was key in the comeback which left Birmingham boss Aitor Karanka seething and counterpart Mark Robins purring.
Karanka was incensed by Adam Clayton’s mistake which allowed Hamer to finish off a classy move and cancel out Jeremie Bela’s penalty. Clayton was substituted at half-time, along with Jon Toral.
Karanka said: “It is difficult to understand. If I analyse every single mistake we made this season, then maybe I get suicidal. We are working well on the pitch, we start well and instead of keeping going we concede a stupid goal again.
“It was tactical at halftime. We lost confidence with the ball, arrive two seconds later to the second ball and I wanted to change something.”
In contrast, Robins said: “I thought our goal and our reaction to giving away the penalty was brilliant.”
The team sheet said Birmingham were at home but it still needed a double check when the landlords took the lead in the St Andrew’s derby.
Birmingham had six straight defeats at home, a total of nine games without a win on their own turf and a measly eight-goal haul from 13 matches before this fixture.
Admittedly, the first goal was not from open play. Bela showed poise to convert after Ivan Sanchez was brought down by Sam McCallum. The pep in the step did not last long, though.
Clayton took a nap just at the point he needed to clear and Callum O’Hare nipped in to set up Hamer.
Their first meeting of the season was a 0-0 draw and this was just as tight, with Bela squandering the chance to make the most of Coventry keeper Ben Wilson going walkabout.
Scott Hogan saw a couple of headers go awry and sub Lukas Jutkiewicz came within a whisker of an injury-time winner.
BIRMINGHAM: Etheridge 6; Colin 6, San Jose 6, Dean 7, Pedersen 5; Clayton 5 (Roberts 46, 6), Sunjic 7 (Harper 78); Sanchez 7 (Leko 71, 5), Toral 5 (Gardner 46, 6), Bela 7; Hogan 5 (Jutkiewicz 84). Unused subs: Prieto, Friend, McGree, Dacres-Cogley.
COVENTRY: Wilson 6; Pask 6, Ostigard 7, Hyam 6, McCallum 7; Hamer 8, Sheaf 6 (Shipley, 66, 5), James 6; Gyokeres 6, O’Hare 7, Biamou 7. Unused subs: Marosi, Rose, Allen, Jobello, Bakayoko, Shipley, Eccles, Dacosta, Bapaga
Gustavo Hamer pulls the strings for Coventry and scores as well Geoff Eltringham 7.