Birmingham City 0 - 0 Coventry City
Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2022 5:25 pm
Shoot on sight policy as Hamer sees red in derby stalemate
Coventry City had to settle for a point in a highly competitive Midlands derby at St Andrew’s that ended on a sour note when Gus Hamer was sent off at the death.
The Sky Blues midfielder went to ground with Hannibal Megbri in the 89th minute with the pair tangling on the floor with flailing feet that the referee appeared to interpret as a deliberate boot to the face.
It was a disappointing end after City had started really brightly, taking the game to Blues but it was the home side who carved out the first chance when Tahith Chong found space down the left and pulled the ball back into the box perfectly for Juninho Bacuna who hit a dreadful shot over the bar when he should really have scored.
Jamie Allen was then denied by a good save from the goalkeeper John Ruddy at the other end after good work from Fankaty Dabo allowed him space to shoot hard and low. Gus Hamer then tried his luck from a good 25 yards with the playmaker testing the keeper with three more efforts in the opening 22 minutes as he adopted a shoot on sight policy.
Krystian Bielik tested his own keeper in the 37th minute when a Gyokeres cross deflected off the midfielder while Jonathan Panzo got a good head to a corner that was blocked by Auston Trusty in an impressive first 45 when Coventry enjoyed 59 percent of possession and hit an impressive 12 shots, albeit only three on target, compared to Birmingham’s four, including only one on target.
Blues came out with a lot more purpose after the break and almost took the lead when Scott Hogan got on the end of a deep Bacuna cross with Ben Wilson dropping down and making a good save on the line. But the second half quickly deteriorated into a scrappy and feisty affair with both sides lacking attacking nous and cancelling each other out.
Kasey Palmer and Tyler Walker added fresh legs as Mark Robins attempted to pep things up for the last 13-odd minutes when the visitors started to come back into the game a bit more, Gyokeres cutting across the goal and hitting high and wide amid some determined build-up play in the final third as they went in search of a winner.
But Hamer was sent off, seemingly harshly, after tangle on the floor, ahead of a frantic four minutes of added time when City hung on for grim death - Ben Wilson the hero when he denied Trusty at the far post with seconds left on the clock.
ATTENDANCE: 16,633 (2,242 away).