Blackpool 1 Birmingham 2: Alex Hleb and Scott Dann send Blues soaring out of drop zone

05 January 2011 01:14
[LNB]Who wants to play at homeanyway? Blackpool's firstappearance at Bloomfield Roadsince November ended in defeat asScott Dann's late strike endedBirmingham's record of being theonly Barclays Premier League teamnot to win away this season. [LNB]In fact. it was March when AlexMcLeish's side last triumphed onthe road. [LNB]But after DJ Campbellhad cancelled out Alexander Hleb'seffort, they snatched victory againsta Blackpool side who have beeneffective away themselves during a45-day break from home games.[LNB]Great Scott: Birmingham's Dann (right) celebrates his winning goal[LNB]Ian Holloway's side will be wishingthey could have stayed away a littlelonger after a game packed withgoalscoring chances ended insickening fashion for them. [LNB]The clock showed 89 minutes whenthe hosts failed to deal with aBirmingham free-kick andsubsitute Jean Beausejour loftedthe ball towards the far post. [LNB]Equaliser: DJ Campbell (right) smashes in Blackpool's goal[LNB]RogerJohnson nodded it down and hiscentre half partner Dannwas just onside as he took one touchbefore clipping the ball pastgoalkeeper Richard Kingson. [LNB]Chipping in: Alex Hleb lofts the ball over Blackpool keeper Richard Kingson to score Birmingham's opening goal[LNB]McLeish was relieved to see his sidemove out of the relegation zone.[LNB]'I'm delighted to win the game,'he said. [LNB]Lift off: Blackpool skipper Charlie Adam (right) rises high to clear the danger as Jerome looms at large[LNB]'Maybe people willstop asking about the awayrecord. The main thing is it'sthree valuable points.'Birmingham took a deservedlead in the 24th minute,and it was ironic thatHleb was the man todeliver with his firstLeague goal for theclub. [LNB]Hands on: Blackpool's Neal Eardley gets to grips with Birmingham strikerMatt Derbyshire (right)[LNB]MATCH FACTS BLACKPOOL (4-3-3): Kingson6; Crainey 5, Evatt 5, Cathcart 6, Eardley 7; M Phillips 6 (Ormerod 70,6), Adam 6, Vaughan 6; Taylor-Fletcher 7 (Euell 71, 6), Campbell 7,Varney 5 (Southern 81). Subs not used: Rachubka, Baptiste, Sylvestre,Edwards.[LNB]BIRMINGHAM (4-3-3): Foster 7; Carr 6,Johnson 6, Dann 7, Ridgewell 6;Gardner 6, Ferguson 7, Fahey 7(Larsson 57, 7); Hleb 8 (K Phillips 82),Jerome 7, Derbyshire 6 (Beausejour 76).Subs not used: Taylor, Zigic, Parnaby, Jiranek.[LNB]STAR MAN: Alexander Hleb[LNB]Booked: Foster.Referee: Jon Moss 5.[LNB]He cameunder fire from fansafter Saturday's3-0 defeat at homeby Arsenal after suggesting he wouldwelcome the chance to rejoin theGunners.[LNB]They might forgive Hlebafter he intercepted StephenCrainey's square ball across the areabefore firing past Kingson.[LNB]It was perhaps inevitable thatBlackpool's equaliser should comefrom Campbell, the striker whostruggled to make an impression atSt Andrew's.[LNB] Neal Eardley crossedto the back post in the 68th minute,Gary Taylor-Fletcher headeddown and Campbell volleyed in. [LNB]McLeish felt the equaliser was'an accident waiting to happen'after Cameron Jerome had hitthe post when he was sentclear by Sebastian Larsson,who also rattled the woodwork. [LNB]However, Charlie Adam also hitthe post for the home side lateon and both sides had penaltyappeals turned down.[LNB]Blackpool boss Holloway said:When we scored I thought itwas going to be our night butwe've lost at home again.'[LNB]  Blackpool v Birmingham: How the action unfolded at Bloomfield RoadClub-by-club guide to every Premier League transfer deal during JanuaryAll the latest Blackpool news, features and opinionAll the latest Birmingham news, features and opinion [LNB]  Explore more:People: Alex Hleb, Matt Derbyshire, Charlie Adam, Sebastian Larsson, Ian Holloway Places: Birmingham

Source: Daily_Mail