BIRMINGHAM CITY 4 CITY 1

League Division 1

9th September 1972

attendance 32,983

scorers
City Towers(25)
Birmingham R Latchford(28, 31 & 54), Campbell(52)

Ref K Styles

City  Corrigan, Jeffries, Donachie, Doyle, Booth, Towers, Summerbee, Bell, Davies, Marsh, Lee – sub Oakes(75)

Birmingham D Latchford, Carroll, Want, Campbell, Hynd, Harland, Pendrey, Francis, R Latchford, Hope, Hatton – sub Burns(5)

TONY TOWERS PUTS CITY 1-0 UP

In short, Birmingham displayed the skills we have come to enjoy from Allison’s team. The nimbic trio of Campbell, Hope and Burns, the precocious substitute, dominated the middle of the pitch because they all wanted the ball and, more important, were able to do something positive when they had it. Every now and then Francis took the breath away with a glimpse of genius while Latchford, whose earthy outlook makes him the perfect foil for such a sophisticated partner, accepted his goals with a killing certainty.
The whole mixture was too potent for Manchester, who caught the eye more often with familiar internal disputes rather than any suggestion of consistent, fluent teamwork. Brandishing a fist at someone when a pass goes fractionally astray is not the way to put things right. Nor is the currently ill defined role of Marsh, who was too inclined to put embellishment before simplicity, and once left Lee glowering when he tried a feeble shot instead of pushing the ball to his better placed colleague.
Nor, obviously, was everything sound in Manchester’s defence. Dazzling ability elsewhere has sometimes papered over these frailties, but on this occasion, while Birmingham settled after conceding an untidy first goal, they were frequently in such a tangle that one was left with the impression that Corrigan either does not speak the same language as his team mates or, more likely, does not speak to them at all.

Manchester held their lead uneasily for a mere three minutes. Then Doyle attempting to clear Hope’s pass, put the entire defence in trouble. Hatton’s shot struck Corrigan’s legs, but Latchford seized the rebound and equalised. Three minutes later Manchester conceded a goal of even more uncertain pedigree when Hope’s inswinging corner passed through Corrigan’s hands, glanced off Booth’s head, and Latchford appeared behind the defence to fire in a left foot shot from the tightest of angles.
Birmingham wrote QED on their afternoon’s work with further goals in the 52nd and 54th minutes, Hatton skillfully creating the first for Campbell by shielding the ball from Jeffries, and Latchford completed his hattrick after a terrible mix up between Corrigan and Jeffries. Marsh later hit the crossbar with a swerving free kick, but it was an isolated gesture in an overall team display that asked many questions about Manchester City’s present attitude and immediate prospects.