Michael Johnson has waited a long time for his first league goal of his career
and the Birmingham defender chose a good occasion to open his account.
It was Johnson's 250th senior appearance and he marked the match with a fine
performance as Birmingham inflicted Sheffield United's first defeat in nine
games to dent the Yorkshire club's automatic promotion hopes.
Birmingham, growing in stature, have now moved up to eighth place and in the
process carved out one of their best victories of the season with goals from
defenders Martin Grainger and Johnson in the 31st and 66th minutes.
Unlike a lot of opposition at St Andrews this season, Sheffield United were
prepared to attack but the tactics proved to be their downfall on this occasion
as Birmingham produced one of their best performances of the season.
United were caught when in the 31st minute Lee Sandford's corner was plucked
out of the air by Ian Bennett.
The Birmingham goalkeeper spotted the unmarked Jon McCarthy who quickly
slipped a 30 yard forward pass through to Grainger who slid the ball past the
advancing Alan Kelly for only his second goal.
Sheffield United were unable to come back and were often indebted to Kelly for
keeping them in the game as he demonstrated when he kept out a 30 yard
blockbuster from Simon Charlton.
Birmingham's attacking supremacy sealed the game with Johnson's goal when the
unmarked defender was able to convert a Martin O'Connor cross from just inside
the six yard box.
Teams
Birmingham: Bennett, Bass, Charlton, Bruce, Johnson (Purse 90),
Grainger, McCarthy, O'Connor, Adebola, Hughes (Robinson 88),
Ndlovu (Forster 89).
Goals: Grainger 31, Johnson 66.
Sheff Utd: Kelly, Borbokis (Derry 46), Quinn (Katchouro 69),
Barrett, Sandford, Holdsworth, Saunders, Marker,
Taylor (Marcello 69), Ford, Stuart.
Att: 17,965
Ref: B Knight (Orpington).
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