If you wonder what the ‘Second City’ derby is all about, find a video of the 1995 Auto Windscreens Cup final. Skip through 100 minutes of numbing football but make sure you don’t miss the next five. Paul Tait scored the only goal of the game in the 103rd minute as Birmingham City beat Carlisle United. But more of that later.
It’s just one of the reasons which make this one of world football’s greatest derby matches. We look at five of the best…
5. Clowns to the Left of Me
Peter Enckelman. Enough said.
4. Tait It Or Leave It
As we mentioned at the start, if any event sums up what the Second City Derby means to fans, it’s Paul Tait’s goal at Wembley. The perfect cross, the glancing header tantalisingly beyond the goalkeeper’s reach; Birmingham had their first trophy since Moses was in a reed basket.
What followed next elevated the Sutton Coldfield-born midfielder to legend status. Wheeling away in delight, he lifted his jersey to reveal a t-shirt bearing the legend, “Sh*t on the Villa”; he no doubt thinks it well worth the fine of two-weeks wages that the FA hit him with.
3. Ron Saunders, Double Agent
By now, Villa fans must be thinking this is all City’s best moments. It’s not. Ron Saunders parted company with Villa on bad terms in 1982 over contract terms. Three months later, Villa lifted the European Cup, rubbing a salt mountain into very deep and painful wounds.
The hallmark of his eighteen-month spell at St Andrew’s was the sniping at Villa and Tony Barton. And things were about to take a turn for the worse.
The Blues began 1983/4 strongly, arriving at Villa Park seven games unbeaten. Saunders built a workmanlike team, one which could kick its way into and out of trouble. McMahon, van den Hauwe, Blake, Gibson, Gayle and Harford. A motley crew with borderline psychopathic tendencies.
It was the 80s with hell breaking loose on and off the pitch. Close to 100 arrests beforehand and tasty culminating in Gayle scything Walters. Peter Withe got involved and then rubbed City faces into the dirt with a goal courtesy of a van den Hauwe mistake.
All it needed was a goal disallowed for Birmingham – tick – and a red card. One out of two ain’t bad; had Dennis Mortimer not thought better of taking Harford on, there was a strong probability of blood. Which then came when Steve McMahon put Kevan Broadhurst onto a stretcher.
The red card arrived sometime later. After the interval, things remained tetchy. Colin Gibson took umbrage at a Gayle challenge and slapped the Birmingham winger.
Only a missed Birmingham penalty could make the afternoon truly memorable for Villa fans. Step forward, Noel Blake. A Withe handball gave Blake the chance which he blew with a spectacularly weak spot-kick. When McMahon took the opportunity to point the score, Blake dropped an accurate headbutt onto the Villa midfielder.
2. Nap Hand For Villa
There’s nothing like a good tonking for bringing smugness to the surface. Villa delivered the last one in 2008. Two from Young and Carew rendered Mikael Forsell’s goal worthless as even a consolation. Gabby Agbonlahor gave Villa the icing on the cake.
1. Cup of Good Cheer
The one thing Villa don’t have and are unlikely to get is the satisfaction of winning a cup final over Birmingham. The Blues will always have the 1963 League Cup final back in the days when it was a competition which meant as little as it does today.
City won the first leg 3 – 1 at St Andrew’s. Ken Leek grabbed two and Jimmy Bloomfield adding the third before Bobby Thomson pulled one back. The second leg a week later ended goalless and City were the third winners of the Football League Cup.
