Sport

Bounce of ball deserts Keegan

Birmingham - 2 Manchester City - 1 The omens could not have been better for Manchester City to end their winless run

Adrian Milledge at St Andrew's
Sat Dec 27 2003 - 00:00

Birmingham - 2 Manchester City - 1 The omens could not have been better for Manchester City to end their winless run. But not even a Robbie Fowler goal against opposition they have enjoyed beating could halt a sequence that has now moved into double figures.

Fowler's last goal had coincided with his side's last victory, against Southampton on November 1st, and the visitors came with a record of eight successive wins over Birmingham. But two late goals in six minutes, both fortuitous, turned the game on its head and had Manchester City's manager Kevin Keegan cursing his side's misfortune.

"Lady luck is certainly not with us at the moment," he said. "Their first goal saw the ball hit a post then bounce in off Jeff Kenna. And their second was remarkably similar, the ball hitting their striker and bouncing into the goal. I thought we deserved at least one point. This is the worst run I've had as a manager."

Birmingham manager Steve Bruce agreed his side had been blessed with good fortune but added: "The way we played in the final minutes is what Birmingham City is all about and we deserved something from the game."

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The postponement of Birmingham's game against Middlesbrough meant this was their first for 13 days and the way they started reflected that. They were caught cold in the 14th minute when Fowler dived to head home a cross from Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Birmingham's equaliser followed a free-kick from Robbie Savage that bounced off David Seaman's left-hand post for Kenna to head what was only his second goal in eight years. By contrast the winner came from a more familiar figure in Mikael Forssell.

Once again Savage delivered a free-kick, Richard Dunne attempted to clear but only succeeded in thumping the ball on to the on-loan Danish international's shins and from there it bounced past the stranded Seaman.

BIRMINGHAM CITY: Taylor, Kenna, Cunningham, Upson, Lazaridis, Johnson, Savage, Dunn (Kirovski 61), Clemence (Cisse 89), Forssell, Morrison (John 61). Subs Not Used: Bennett, Purse. Booked: Savage, Upson. Goals: Kenna 81, Forssell 87.

MANCHESTER CITY: Seaman, Jihai, Dunne, Sommeil, Distin, Wright-Phillips, Barton, Reyna, McManaman (Sinclair 69), Fowler (Sibierski 69), Anelka. Subs Not Used: Macken, Tarnat, Stuhr-Ellegaard. Booked: Jihai. Goals: Fowler 14.

Referee: U Rennie (S Yorkshire).