Birmingham City resilient in 1-1 draw at Wrexham

National World - LocalTV

Reaction from Birmingham World reporter Charlie Haffenden after Wrexham 1-1 Birmingham City in League One as Christoph Klarer stood out in a cracker at the Racecourse Ground.

Transcript

00:00Birmingham's highly anticipated trip to the racecourse ground has ended in a 1-1 draw.

00:06Chris Davies' side having to settle for a point against Phil Parkinson's but to be honest

00:10I think Birmingham's manager will be the happier of the two teams. Wrexham really pushing on

00:15in that second half to try and source a winner. The better team in that second half, back

00:18to the walls were Birmingham, throwing on the likes of Christian Bielek and Lukas Djukovic

00:22at the end as Wrexham swung in countless crosses into that penalty area. In the first half

00:28it was a Rathbone cracker from the outside of the area, a curler into a tight right-hand

00:32corner giving Ryan Alsop no chance. Then Lyndon Dykes down the other end of the field, a header

00:38from a Mark Lennon corner deflected into the goal. Alfie May and Ethan Laird both claimed

00:42it as their own. It went off the back of a Wrexham defender, given in the end after quite

00:47a few minutes of deliberation from the officials, given to Dykes to make it 1-1. No other goals

00:53in the game somehow, very end-to-end for the rest of the first half, very cagey, lots of

00:57fouls breaking up the play. I think the referee didn't have his best night in all honesty,

01:01lots of fouls he gave he shouldn't have done, lots that he should have given he didn't.

01:06A very frustrating one for the home support in particular who were really getting on his

01:10back and I think rightfully so the way he was interrupting the flow of the match and

01:14should have let things go. Then in the second period I think it went the other way, he was

01:19letting things go a little bit too much and Wrexham fans wanted more fouls than they were

01:23given. Birmingham, really strong support, about 1,200 here at the racecourse, 13,000

01:30people here in total. Incredible really for a League 1 match, the atmosphere absolutely

01:34exceptional but it really was back to the walls I mentioned for Birmingham towards the

01:38end of the match. Wrexham pushing on and on and on to try and source that winner, weren't

01:42able to do so. A special shout out to Christoph Klarer who I gave a 9 out of 10 in my player

01:48ratings tonight. The Birmingham centre-back, absolutely sublime. In that first half made

01:54two fantastic sliding challenges, crunching in and in the second half he must have headed

01:58away at least a dozen crosses. I think he would head anything away and then I asked

02:03him on the pitch side at the end, would you head a brick for this team and he said absolutely.

02:08He'd head absolutely anything for Birmingham City. He loves the club, he's settled in so

02:12well and he told me he's committed to the project as far and for as long as possible

02:17because he absolutely loves the connection he's built with the fanbase. So it might not

02:21be three points here on the road at Wrexham but I think a point that Birmingham will certainly

02:24take. Lots of positives as well, the way they dug in, the passion shown and Wrexham not

02:30able to make any ground on them in the league standings.

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