. . . it is a concept that it is very difficult to grasp – the possibility that after coming through another challenging FA Cup assignment in the Midlands yesterday at Birmingham City that we might possibly be embarking on an extended run in the competition.
As I write this, the draw for the Fifth Round has not been made and, as things stand, the only teams I wish to avoid are Arsenal, Manchester City and, should lightening strike twice at Moss Road, Macclesfield who are scheduled to play another Premiership team Brentford tonight, after dethroning Cup holders Crystal Palace in the last round (the first occasion in English football history when a team from the sixth tier of the League pyramid has defeated opposition from the top tier).
Without wishing to tempt the vengeful deity Fate, amazing vistas conjure if Leeds do negotiate the Fifth Round. 23 years since we last participated in the Quarter-Final; 39 years since we graced a semi-final and 53 years since we played in a Cup Final – the seismic defeat by Sunderland, Jim Montgomery double save and all that. A successful Cup rematch with the Makems would go someway towards salving that particular historic wound.
Without wishing to tempt the vengeful deity Fate, amazing vistas conjure if Leeds do negotiate the Fifth Round. 23 years since we last participated in the Quarter-Final; 39 years since we graced a semi-final and 53 years since we played in a Cup Final – the seismic defeat by Sunderland, Jim Montgomery double save and all that. A successful Cup rematch with the Makems would go someway towards salving that particular historic wound.
It is not part of our DNA to sail through Cup competitions. Only Newcastle United come near to matching our record of losing Cup fixtures to lower league opposition. Just over halfway into my sixth decade of following Leeds United, I can recall at least thirty such exits and frankly Birmingham can feel aggrieved that they did not add to that tally yesterday. For in the first half at St Andrews they were by far the better team. Fielding six changes from the side that rose like Lazarus from the dead at Chelsea during the week, Daniel Farke’s latest rotated squad were muscled off the ball on practically every occasion. Only two outstanding saves form recalled keeper Lucas Perri, one of which was the tipping onto the crossbar of a sweet volley from Jay Stansfield, Brum’s top scorer, kept the scoreline blank. Leeds mustered not a single shot on goal, and our ineffectiveness was reflected in the substitution of loanee debutant Facundo Buonanotte whose impact on the game was negligible.
St Andrews is the archetypal, old school, citadel of a football venue. While not quite embodying the “nobody likes us, we don’t care” ethos of Millwall fans, Birmingham do however have a reputation of providing a hostile environment for opposing fans and down the decades Birmingham v Leeds has assumed the status of a grudge match due in no small part to the activities of the respective fans’ firms - The Zulu Warriors and Service Crew respectively. One of the nadirs of the era of organised football hooliganism in the 1980s, was the riot at St Andrews involving both at the fixture in May 1985 on the last day of the season. This orgy of thuggery and anarchy caused the death of a 15-year-old on his first day at a football match due to a collapsing wall. The events of that day were overshadowed by the fire at Valley Parade, home of Bradford City the same day which cost the livers of over 50 Bradford supporters who should have been celebrating their promotion to the Second Division and wining the Third Division title. So beware of the romanticisation of the terrace culture of yesteryear.
With that caveat, St Andrews is a refreshing contrast to the sanitised and neutered atmosphere of so many Premiership stadia where customer is king (i.e. those who shell out £1k for a season ticket at the Emirates or the Tottenham Stadium) not the fan, long since priced out of their places of worship. The raw passion that emanates from the terraces there and at other ‘old school’ grounds like Fratton Park needs to be a feature of Premiership culture. Birmingham have only lost one in forty league games at their manor. Birmingham fans’ identity derives from its rivalry with the establishment club of the Midlands, Aston Villa. Let’s hope that that derby rivalry becomes a fixture in every sense of the word in the Premiership.
To return to yesterday’s proceedings, the regular Leeds captain Ethan Ampadou came on, and the entire dynamic of the game was altered as Leeds adapted more effectively to the challenges posed by the hosts. Within four minutes of the restart, Leeds were level due to a superb strike by Lucas Nmencha outside the box after an assist by Noah Okafor. Had VAR been available, Nmencha would likely have been deemed to cross the red lines. But why not give more latitude to forwards particularly given the absence of protest from Birmingham defenders.
St Andrews is the archetypal, old school, citadel of a football venue. While not quite embodying the “nobody likes us, we don’t care” ethos of Millwall fans, Birmingham do however have a reputation of providing a hostile environment for opposing fans and down the decades Birmingham v Leeds has assumed the status of a grudge match due in no small part to the activities of the respective fans’ firms - The Zulu Warriors and Service Crew respectively. One of the nadirs of the era of organised football hooliganism in the 1980s, was the riot at St Andrews involving both at the fixture in May 1985 on the last day of the season. This orgy of thuggery and anarchy caused the death of a 15-year-old on his first day at a football match due to a collapsing wall. The events of that day were overshadowed by the fire at Valley Parade, home of Bradford City the same day which cost the livers of over 50 Bradford supporters who should have been celebrating their promotion to the Second Division and wining the Third Division title. So beware of the romanticisation of the terrace culture of yesteryear.
With that caveat, St Andrews is a refreshing contrast to the sanitised and neutered atmosphere of so many Premiership stadia where customer is king (i.e. those who shell out £1k for a season ticket at the Emirates or the Tottenham Stadium) not the fan, long since priced out of their places of worship. The raw passion that emanates from the terraces there and at other ‘old school’ grounds like Fratton Park needs to be a feature of Premiership culture. Birmingham have only lost one in forty league games at their manor. Birmingham fans’ identity derives from its rivalry with the establishment club of the Midlands, Aston Villa. Let’s hope that that derby rivalry becomes a fixture in every sense of the word in the Premiership.
To return to yesterday’s proceedings, the regular Leeds captain Ethan Ampadou came on, and the entire dynamic of the game was altered as Leeds adapted more effectively to the challenges posed by the hosts. Within four minutes of the restart, Leeds were level due to a superb strike by Lucas Nmencha outside the box after an assist by Noah Okafor. Had VAR been available, Nmencha would likely have been deemed to cross the red lines. But why not give more latitude to forwards particularly given the absence of protest from Birmingham defenders.
In the course of the second half, the cavalry was sent on in the form of leading scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, attacking full back Jayden Bogle and midfielder Brenden Aaronson and Leeds began to display Premiership superiority in quality with a second and likely decisive goal looked probable. However, Birmingham were not going to go down easily. Our goal was peppered with shots, crosses and incisive movement by Birmingham forwards with last ditch defending from Sebastian Bornauw especially keeping our lead intact. However, our defence was eventually breached in the last minute of regulation time, when after the recycling of one of their flurry of corners, the sumptuous volley from 25 yards out by Patrick Roberts found the Leeds net via deflection of the head of the unsuspecting James Justin. The curtain on our Cup run was so nearly drawn when Ibrahim Osman struck the inside of the post in the last minute of stoppage time and Bornauw blocked the rebound from Kanya Fujimoto. The truth is that Birmingham clad in their 70s penguin kit would have deserved a win.
So into extra time when efforts by Ampadou and Calvert-Lewin could have secured our berth in the Fifth Round. But wild finishing in front of goal denied Birmingham their moment of glory. The dreaded penalty shoot thus beckoned. Up stepped Piroe (who missed from the spot at Derby in the Third Round), Calvert-Lewin and Aaronson to the plate and duly converted. Perri then saves from Tommy Doyle (he is as much of a match winner as anybody) and here Roberts turns villain (an operative word) by blazing his effort over the bar. Sean Longstaff then sends us through. A long afternoon but no less satisfying as we were pushed to the limit. Is this our year?
PS We have drawn Norwich at home in the Daniel Farke derby.
So into extra time when efforts by Ampadou and Calvert-Lewin could have secured our berth in the Fifth Round. But wild finishing in front of goal denied Birmingham their moment of glory. The dreaded penalty shoot thus beckoned. Up stepped Piroe (who missed from the spot at Derby in the Third Round), Calvert-Lewin and Aaronson to the plate and duly converted. Perri then saves from Tommy Doyle (he is as much of a match winner as anybody) and here Roberts turns villain (an operative word) by blazing his effort over the bar. Sean Longstaff then sends us through. A long afternoon but no less satisfying as we were pushed to the limit. Is this our year?
PS We have drawn Norwich at home in the Daniel Farke derby.
⏩Barry Gilheany is a freelance writer, qualified counsellor and aspirant artist resident in Colchester where he took his PhD at the University of Essex. He is also a lifelong Leeds United supporter.
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