Match Report: Blues 2-0 Leyton Orient

Blues have a comfortable evening as Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Ethan Laird put away 10-man Orient at St.Andrews.

Birmingham City moved nine points clear at the top of the League One table after a 2-0 win against ten-man Leyton Orient.

A competitive game turned on its head following an early red card for O’s left-back Jack Currie. After hitting both the post and bar, Blues took full advantage in the second half through Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Ethan Laird.

Davies made three changes from the side that drew at Reading on the weekend, all enforced with Scott Wright, Lyndon Dykes and Keshi Anderson succumbing to injury. Alfie May, Gardner-Hickman and Willum Willumson stepped into the side with Alfons Sampsted, Luke Harris and Lukas Jutkiewicz returned to the squad.

The early part of the game was hard-fought with both sides looking to turn the other and win the key individual battles. Orient got in a couple of times but it was the hosts that had the first notable effort on goal, Laird stabbing wide after a gorgeous move involving Paik Seung-Ho, Christoph Klarer, Tomoki Iwata, Kieran Dowell and May.

A minute later and the visitors were down to ten. Currie did well to evade both May and Dowell but he lost control with Iwata quick to step in. Currie left the ground to poke the ball forward, catching the ball then the ankle of Iwata. The referee took his time, checked on the Japanese international then pulled out the red card.

From there, it was one-way traffic. Richie Wellens made a double substitution and changed from a 4-2-3-1 to a 5-3-1. For Blues, it was all about finding the net.

That started on 20 minutes when Alex Cochrane delivered into the area only for Willumson to head over. At the other end, Jamie Donley tried to recapture the magic of his FA Cup goal by half volleying over the bar from 30 yards. Neither Laird or Iwata could make the most of another left-wing delivery while Paik had an effort deflected narrowly over the bar.

Chaos ensued just after half hour in the Orient area. Iwata found some space and forced a low stop from Josh Keeley who reacted brilliantly to deny Gardner-Hickman from close range. Cochrane was then denied by a block and Iwata had another effort deflected.

A teasing Dowell delivery was punched as far as Cochrane, who set himself and curled just wide of the top corner. Blues hit the woodwork again in injury time when a swift move involving Paik, Gardner-Hickman and Willumson ended with the ball popping up for May to dink over Keeley and against the underside of the bar. Iwata and May both tried to make amends from distance in the immediate aftermath to no avail.

The second half started in similar fashion with Orient content with defending their box while Blues looked for the opener. It arrived early, though only after Willumson tested Keeley’s handling.

Laird got beyond Jayden Sweeney and the pair briefly tussled. Laird was pulled back by the wing-back and as he claimed for a penalty, Dowell got hold of the ball and shot at goal. Keeley saved, but parried the ball back into danger and with Ethan Galbraith caught on his heels, Gardner-Hickman tapped in his first Blues goal.

It should have been two after the hour. Iwata appeared to be aiming for the run of Laird at the back post but the cross popped up nicely for May whose touch was assured and the finish not quite ruthless enough to beat Keeley.

There was a dangerous moment at the other end. Azeem Abdulai replaced Daniel Agyei after the opener and showcased his ability by beating two on the edge of the box only to see his low cross blocked behind for a corner.

It was largely about control thereon. Changes were made. The game slowed down. Then with just over five to go, Klarer slid Laird in behind for a one-on-one that he finished with all the confidence of a player perhaps having his best ever run of form. Job done.

Blues tried to add another late on. May couldn’t quite slip Jutkiewicz in and the big man headed wide late on. Paik also rasped a shot towards goal that Keeley just about knocked over the bar.

A comfortable game. A 2-0 win. Blues are unbeaten in 17.

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Lineups

Blues: Allsop; Laird (Sampsted 91) Klarer Davies Cochrane; Iwata Paik; Dowell (Harris 85) Willumson (Jutkiewicz 67) TGH (Hansson 67); May (Bielik 91). Unused: Peacock-Farrell; Hanley.

Orient: Keeley; Galbraith (Williams 67) Edmonds-Green Cooper Currie; Pratley Brown; Agyei (Abdulai 54) Donley (Perkins 67) Markanday (Sweeney 15); Kelman (Ball 15). Unused: Phillips; Jaiyesimi.

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Tactics

Both sides were playing 4-2-3-1 here.

For Blues, it was the usual. Cochrane stepping in slightly with Gardner-Hickman holding width ahead of him. Laird holding the touchline on the right with Dowell tucking in. Owing to the quality of opposition, Willumson took up the half spaces on the left with Paik sitting in alongside Iwata early doors to help Blues gain control.

The opposition stepped into a 4-1-4-1 shape out of possession with Pratley stepping up to join Donley in the middle, flanked closely by Agyei and Markanday with Kelman up top. Galbraith was quick to jump onto Gardner-Hickman. They wanted to squeeze the pitch, cheat with the press and make it tough for Blues to get out, playing on the front foot. This wasn’t man for man as much as condense the space.

This is shown in the clip leading up to early Laird chance, Pratley ready to pounce as Donley closes Paik and Markanday moves towards Iwata. Agyei is nearby with Kelman already sitting on Davies, making it tough for Blues to find space. On this occasion, it’s the brilliance of Paik and his turn that get Blues out of danger.

You can see how quickly Orient get back into shape and across to condense the pitch the other side. The problem on this occasion is that Cooper has jumped to close Iwata, leaving a gaping hole that Dowell exploit.

Because of the tightness of the Orient press, Blues looked for the switch or early pass quickly with both Dowell and Gardner-Hickman wayward with passes from either flank attempting to send each other in behind the Orient backline. There were also a couple of early switches out to Gardner-Hickman, who looked a touch rusty until he settled into things.

The action didn’t continue 11v11 long enough to get a full grasp on exactly on the Blues press, particularly as Orient went more direct in the early stages, looking to turn Blues or win seconds. Their approach was to play forward quickly at every opportunity and get the wingers involved to stretch the Blues backline.

After the red, Orient moved to a 5-3-1 shape. Sweeney and Galbraith went to wing-back, Pratley and Cooper flanked Edmonds-Green in the centre of defence with Brown in front, flanked by Ball and Donley. Agyei stayed alone up top.

Orient continued in a similar fashion, less worried about individual men and more about covering the space to ensure they had somebody ready on the cover. They shuffled across from left to right and forced Blues to play from wide position, keeping the centre of the pitch filled up with bodies.

Blues tweaked in order to push more bodies forward. Willumson moved closer May, but with license to float. Paik and Dowell began to play higher. Klarer and Cochrane had more license to push on down their respective flanks. Iwata held the fort in the middle and with the Orient midfield dropping deep, was often the man tasked with spreading the ball to either flank to keep it moving.

The below image preceeds Paik having a shot deflected. You can see the front four together with Willumson floating slightly to the right. Donley and Ball are close together in midfield while Brown has joined the back five to keep track of Dowell. Laird is holding the touchline. Klarer is close by as the ball is now on his side. Cochrane has tucked in next to Davies to keep an eye on Agyei.

From that point, it all about whether Blues could find the break in the area. Fortunately, they did.

Orient did get a little braver as the game went on. Williams arrived on the pitch and got slightly higher, with Perkins now leading the line and Abdulai to the left, so the 5-3-1 did at times show to be more 4-4-1.

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The Goals

Blues 1-0 Orient

Once again, you can see the picture taking shape. Gardner-Hickman and Cochrane down the left. Iwata nearby. Blues’ number 8’s getting high up with Willumson and May. Orient have narrowed the pitch. Ball is near Cochrane, Brown is watching Gardner-Hickman and Donley sees Iwata. They have become man for man over this side, so the spare man is on the other side.

In this instance, Agyei has dropped back in on the left. But the spare men are Klarer and Davies, and Iwata wastes little time in spreading out to Klarer.

Willumson has dropped off to show and Cooper follows him out. Donley sees the run of Dowell and tells Cooper to drop back in. Laird is 1v1. And while Cooper is regaining his position, Laird can take on his man.

To their credit, Orient have got themselves back into a decent position. Cooper has the front post. Edmonds-Green, Pratley and Galbraith are making the three Blues bodies. Brown and Ball are on the edge. Donley has got over to support Laird. Blues are in a good spot to recycle the ball.

However, they switch off. Dowell moves to the ball while Brown and Cooper are throwing their arms up. Edmonds-Green, Ball and Pratley are also doing the same. So when Dowell receives to turn and shoot, they aren’t ready.

Even in the other clip as Dowell is controlling, you can just about see Brown is looking at the referee, not Dowell.

Keeley spills the ball. Galbraith gets caught on his heels. Gardner-Hickman is alive.

Moral of the story. Play to the whistle.

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Blues 2-0 Orient

Nothing too much is happening. Blues have possession deep. Williams is just dropping back into a back five. The midfield and striker are narrow.

As the ball advances, you can see the team stepping across.

Then Jutkiewicz drops more towards the centre of the pitch and Cooper decides to follow him in, while Sweeney has closed Laird, who received possession and dropped it back under little danger.

Cooper continues to focus on the front two and keeps it tight with his centre-backs. Sweeney has stepped out. The gap has grown bigger. Orient’s midfield aren’t really pressuring the ball with any intensity at this point either, so there is more time and space to exploit.

The gap is huge and it’s an easy option for Klarer once Laird makes the run.

Laird is in. Finishes nicely. Game done.

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Players

Not a game to judge the players too much. We played against ten men for 80+ minutes, and ten men that were content with sitting in front of their own box with minimal pressure.

It all about continuing to do the right things. Our dominance was perhaps showed by Allsop having less touches of the ball than Alfie May, while Ben Davies saw less of the ball than Iwata and Seung-Ho. We didn’t need our fail-safes to be involved.

The back four and the midfield two were excellent though. They didn’t get frustrated. Didn’t start smashing balls into the box. They kept it moving at a decent pace, spread the play and delivered when the opportunity arose.

Ahead of them, Dowell was always probing. He perhaps gave the ball away needlessly at times but him continuing to try things has shown to pay off at times. Gardner-Hickman got his first goal and he thoroughly deserves it. He still appears a tad rusty, that combined with this being a game where his longer-range passing was perhaps less necessary, but his work ethic and willingness to take on tactical instruction is superb.

Willumson is getting there, I think. He’s a big guy and he’s always going to take a few games to get back to his best after a spell out with injury – reminiscent of guys like Zigic, Deeney, Rooney and others of a tall or stocky body type, particularly in those forward areas where you’re twisting, turning and need to be that extra yard ahead.

As for May, I also think he’s getting there. He’s been the main man for a long time so being dropped in and out or not really playing won’t have been easy mentally, let alone physically. His touch and movement is excellent and I think it’s just that little bit of sharpness that needs to return now.

It was good to see Hansson get some minutes as well. He looked sharp enough and saw a decent amount of the ball. Hopefully we see that come to fruition.

I’m not going to delve into Orient. Galbraith looked bright early doors. But the fact that Keeley had close double the amount of touches compared to his team-mates after the 12^th minute says plenty about how things went. One to write off.

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Conclusions

I’ve touched on it above, but how much can you read into this one?

I suppose it’s another sign of how far we have come. In 2022, we watched Wigan Athletic go down to 10-men and wound up losing 1-0. The options off the bench were Deeney, rested in place of Jutkiewicz, Cosgrove, Leko and a very youthful Jobe Bellingham while our five in midfield included Josh Williams, Jordan James and George Hall at the very start of their careers.

As soon as the red card was shown, you knew we were winning this game. And to do so in dominant fashion was lovely to watch.

I’m obviously delighted that the game turned out as it did because 1) it made it much easier to win the football match and 2) it became a lot less taxing for the players. The neutral in me, and I am fascinated by the wider pyramid, was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see how strong Orient are. The first game in August was a really competitive match and since the start of November, Blues and Orient have been the best sides in the division. It would have been a really good test for both teams and probably would have felt more satisfying had we overcome another tough challenge. Alas, a win is a win and I’ll take them however they come.

Was it a red card? I don’t know. I was at the complete opposite end of the ground for the incident and it looked a rough tackle but I was surprised to see red. Seeing it back from various angles, it really depends on what angle you get. He leaves the ground, which is always seen as dangerous, and does catch Iwata on his ankle. But his studs are facing the ground and he wins the ball. I always think about these things on the side of “if it was given against Blues, how would I feel” and I think I’d be a little miffed if Alex Cochrane was sent off for that 12 minutes into the game.

Thankfully, we made the most of it.

I do think fans need to relax a little. It’s clear that what we are doing this season is working and we are getting stronger as the season goes on. So when somebody doesn’t shoot from 35 yards or doesn’t cross the ball first time, it’s usually for a good reason, often to draw the opposition on so we can attack a different space. It’s perhaps why Paik referenced in his recent interview that Davies has told the players to ignore the fans and crack on with their game. I think we can show a little more trust at times.

Elsewhere, I watched Wrexham v Peterborough United last night. Seeing Posh score their equaliser while Wrexham were in the middle of Que Sera was excellent, but also a big reminder as to why I refused to sing it at our place v Bradford City. This is football. It loves to kick you in the arse.

It does mean with play Peterborough in the final. I suspect the EFL and our owners are a little gutted given the noise a Birmingham City v Wrexham fixture brings. The American audience, the big names, the sponsorship deals, the revenue. It does mean most neutrals are happy, mind.

As for a brief look ahead to the final, you have to assume our chances of victory have gone up. Posh are in a much-worse league position than Wrexham, are likely still going to be involved in a relegation fight when the game comes around and they will have played four matches post-international break like us, with a smaller squad. They actually play us on the Tuesday, remarkably. However, they do possess a goal threat (they’ve scored 5 fewer than us in the league) and won this competition last year. Not one to be taken lightly.

In the meantime, it’s Wycombe Wanderers next. First vs second. Another sell-out.

The simple math is that if we win, we go 12 points clear of second place with a game in-hand and 14 matches to play. By all accounts, barring the most monumental of fuck ups, the job will be done.

If Wycombe continue at their current rate of two points-per-game, there is a very real chance we could have the league wrapped up by the time we go to Wembley. Wycombe will have five games left at that point. If they continue as they have over their last 16 games, we can probably get it done earlier, and still have seven or more games left to play. Of course, we have to continue to adhere to the ludicrous standards we have already set, which isn’t going to be easy with the number of games to be played.

Focusing on Saturday and Wycombe aren’t winning at the same level they were earlier in the season but they are still one of the better sides in the division. Since the start of December, the Chairboys have won six of their 16 matches but have also lost only twice, both against fellow promotion hopefuls in Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield Town. They have also undergone a managerial change, a transfer window and an injury to star man Richard Kone, who probably makes his first start since the end of January owing to an injury.

For us, Wright joins Buchanan as out for the season. Dykes is probably missing until after Wembley. Leonard, Stansfield and Anderson are relatively close but unlikely to start here. Tuesday worked out okay in terms of the physical efforts the players had to put in meaning we can probably go again with the same XI, barring anything we aren’t aware of. I doubt Davies is going to mess with the defence or midfield. May starts by default. Are Harris, Hansson or Jutkiewicz going to replace anybody in that front four? There’s an argument for Hansson to replace Gardner-Hickman, but I suspect we will continue to manage and monitor him, and Davies tends to back Gardner-Hickman in these big games.

Here’s hoping for another three points, however they come.

KRO.