So let’s set the scene. Birmingham were very close to winning the Northern League, and perhaps they deserved to, but they fell agonisingly short finishing just one sole point behind Loughborough with 19 points. Oxford Brooks finished 3rd in the Southern League with a grand total of 16 points. This game was shaping up to be an interesting battle between two very strong teams, in two very competitive leagues. We were predicting a narrow affair in this Cup quarter-final, in reality we could not have been misguided. The game finished 7-0 to the hosts – that is not an unfortunate typo – Birmingham ran out 7-0 winners. Birmingham were crisp, sharp and awesome, in complete contrast to Oxford Brookes who looked sluggish, tired and uninspired.
Birmingham’s dominance is perhaps most effectively shown in this worldly stat we collected; Birmingham scored more goals than Oxford Brooks manged passes in row. Birmingham’s excellent performance was capped off with a well-taken 6th goal, which was a lovely passing move. They switched it from one side to the other before playing it in to the D. It ended with a lovely swivel shot, which gave the ailing keeper no chance. Three of the goals occurred from well-worked penalty corners, clear evidence Birmingham have been putting in the hours on the training ground. Birmingham’s first goal set the tone for an excellent performance, in which the Birmingham attacker smartly slotted the ball under the on-rushing keeper.
The score line looks favourably on Oxford Brookes as Birmingham could have easily reached double figures if it wasn’t for the Brookes keeper making half a dozen decent saves, while Birmingham hit the post a couple of times. The Birmingham keeper, on the otherhand, was not tested.
The way Birmingham lost the league was very harsh. A last gasp goal in the final minutes to Loughborough at home ended up being the difference. This is a remarkable Birmingham team who deserve some form of silverware this season, and with more performances like this in the cup they stand a good chance of collecting one.
Patrick Herbert
Feature image courtesy of @UOBHC twitter
