The top 2 places in the fizzy pop championship have changed hands too many times to recall, and too many times to make any guesses as to who might sit in them come the end of the season. Thankfully Blues seem to have the ability to squeeze out enough of a result just when they need it most, and having dropped to 3rd on Saturday night, I wonder just how many bluenoses would have taken a point at the boingies if offered there and then? I know I would have!
I have to say that the Hawthorns is quite possibly the coldest and windiest place on earth. As I arrived at the ground on Sunday morning, my decision not to take a jacket was not only foolhardy but quite possibly life threatening. Having been invited as a director's guest I assumed my suit and tie would be sufficient warmth to see me through the 90 minutes. How wrong I was. I've never taken any notice of weather reports so the day before, as I was walking with my wife in the Solihull sunshine (jacket free), I thought the warning of snow and howling winds was a ridiculous one.
Anyway, thanks to a very kind Blues director that had a spare jacket in the boot of his car, I managed to stay alive, even if I was still frozen to the core - and as a little bonus I somehow forgot to return it after the game so Dax went home with a free, rather expensive looking, Prada jacket. No doubt he'll come looking for it/me when I turn up for work at the Coventry game!!
Being an invited guest is always a great pleasure, and a very, very different experience compared to when I normally travel with the lads. Watching the reactions during a game of our Chairman and Managing director at close quarters is as interesting as it is pleasing. Pleasing because despite the stick some give them, (especially this season), it was great to see them both kicking every ball with the players and getting genuinely excited throughout the game. I will admit though to being a tad jealous of KB…. She had a lovely big blanket wrapped over her legs to keep her warm! Oh how I wanted that blanket!!
I'm sure nobody needs me to go into the details of the match. Those who were there following the Blues deserve great credit for their support. I wanted so badly to be in amongst them singing my heart out and jumping around wildly when Jontyaldhinio scored that beauty of a left foot volley. There are plenty who bemoan our battling style in trying to get out of this division, whilst praising the Boingies passing game. Well good for them I say. The way they're going they'll pass their way out of the play-off zone…. in a downward direction! I'm more than happy for us to scrap our way back to the premier league.
Credit too to Brucey on a couple of fronts, firstly for giving Julian Gray a chance on Sunday, I actually thought he was quite lively going forward (I wish he'd done it on Tuesday night after I travelled all the way to Norwich to watch us get beat!) and secondly for having the balls to go 3-3-3 at the death when chasing the equaliser with 10 men. There were more than a few raised eyebrows in the directors' area when Martin Taylor was summoned off by the boss, but what a great gamble that turned out to be!
The final word has to go to Jonty though. Never before has a Blues captain come in for some much abuse from his own fans, so I'm sure nobody begrudged him his little hand to the ear gesture to the travelling bluenoses as he celebrated his scorcher!! Fair play to you mate. That goal, as much for its importance as its quality, may have gone a long way to erasing the memory of you discarding your shirt all those months ago.
Bring on the next game!!