Wanderers 4, Birmingham City 2: All the match stats

Wanderers 4 BIRMINGHAM CITY 2

Wanderers

4-4-2

JUSSI JAASKELAINEN ... 6

Not much he could do with either goal after being exposed by poor defending

BRUNO N'GOTTY ... 6

Always looks more comfortable in the middle; had to work hard against Lazaridis

GUDNI BERGSSON ... 5

His expression after Morrison scored said it all; by his high standards, not the best of days

IVAN CAMPO ... 5

An untidy performance at centre-back against a couple of awkward opponents

SIMON CHARLTON ... 7

Did well, keeping Devlin quiet and making his presence felt going forward

BERNARD MENDY ... 7

Looked like he was enjoying himself out on the right flank; busy, tricky and always positive

PER FRANDSEN ... 7

Worked hard, as ever, and came strong in the second half when it mattered

JAY JAY OKOCHA ... 8

Not at most impressive but when he got the bit between his teeth he made all the difference

RICARDO GARDNER ... 7

Back in a familiar position out on the left but never far away from the action

YOURI DJORKAEFF ... 7

Frustrated, when the loss of that half yard of pace cost him; kept going and got his reward

HENRIK PEDERSEN ... 6

Hasn't been credited with the goal but he deserved it for his persistence

Subs: Delroy Facey for Pedersen 81 mins. Not used: Kevin Nolan, Anthony Barness, Stig Tofting, Kevin Poole.

BIRMINGHAM CITY

4-4-2

IAN BENNETT ... 5

JEFF KENNA ... 6

KENNY CUNNINGHAM ... 5

MATTHEW UPSON ... 6

JAMIE CLAPHAM ... 6

PAUL DEVLIN ... 5

ROBBIE SAVAGE ... 8

STEPHEN CLEMENCE ... 6

STAN LAZARIDIS ... 7

CHRISTOPHE DUGARRY ... 7

CLINTON MORRISON ... 7

Subs: Stern John for Dugarry 67 mins, Jovan Kirovski for Devlin 73 mins. Not

used: Michael Johnson, Piotr Swierczewski, Nico Vaesen.

Referee: Dermot Gallagher (Banbury).

Attendance: 24,288.

Goals: Wanderers - Cunningham og 12 min, Clemence og 46, Djorkaeff 83,

Facey 86; Birmingham - Savage 44 mins, Morrison 60.

Shots/headers on target: Wanderers 8, Birmingham 5.

Corners: Wanderers 7, Birmingham 4.

Offsides: Wanderers 6, Birmingham 10.

Fouls committed: Wanderers 18, Birmingham 16.

Bookings: Wanderers - Gardner 23 mins (foul on Cunningham), Frandsen 60

(foul on Savage); Birmingham - Morrison 18 mins (foul on Jaaskelainen),

Dugarry 52 (dissent).

Man of the Match

JAY JAY OKOCHA

HIS tricks and invention kept the Blues' defenders on their toes throughout the game. When he added a cutting edge late on when the result was in the balance, he made all the difference.

Magic Moment

TWICE they had led and twice they had been pegged back so Wanderers were not safe until Facey slotted in his first Premiership goal, rounding off Okocha's incisive break - a 40 yard run and a shot from 30 that beat Bennett and came back off the post.

Moan of the Match

SIX goals ... terrific! But both managers will be working overtime with their defences this week. If Wanderers and Blues are to stay in the Premiership they are going to have to tighten up considerably.

Kick by Kick

GOAL!

12 mins: Wanderers get a welcome break as Cunningham turns Gardner's left-wing cross past unsuspecting keeper Bennett.

25 mins: Charlton gets in a crucial headed clearance under pressure from Savage.

28 mins: Dugarry creates an opportunity for himself, beating Campo, taking a return pass from Morrison and gliding between N'Gotty and Mendy only to waste the chance by screwing his shot wide.

32 mins: More warning bells as Dugarry gets up behind N'Gotty to plant a header on target from Devlin's cross.

43 mins: Kenna squanders a 24-carat chance, swapping passes with Morrison and rolling a shot wide with only Jaaskelainen to beat.

GOAL!

44 mins: Villain of the piece Savage, barracked and booed at every touch by the Wanderers' fans, silences his critics with a close-range finish from a Lazaridis cross after exquisite play by Dugarry.

Half-time: Wanderers 1

Birmingham 1

GOAL!

46 mins: Pedersen's pressure forces Clemence to hack the ball into his own net after the Dane and Djorkaeff combine to force Bennett into a crucial error.

53 mins: Birmingham show they are still a threat with Morrison shaving the crossbar with a header from a Lazaridis cross.

GOAL!

60 mins: Morrison races on to Clemence's carefully lobbed pass and beats the stranded Jaaskelainen with a confident, low finish.

61 mins: Djorkaeff gets up to head Mendy's deep cross but Bennett gets the block and Pedersen is unable to react.

GOAL!

83 mins: Okocha pounces on Bennett's poor clearance and feeds Djorkaeff whose first time shot beats Bennett's half-hearted dive to squeeze just inside the post.

GOAL!

86 mins: Okocha takes the direct route, collecting the ball from Jaaskelainen and running 40 yards before unleashing a shot from 30 yards that beats Bennett and bounces back off the post for Facey to claim his first Premiership goal with a confident finish.

Full-time: Wanderers 4

Birmingham 2