Middlesbrough v Birmingham FA Premier League || Boro v Brum Big Match Facts

MIDDLESBROUGH v BIRMINGHAM - BIG MATCH FACTS

There's a 'thing' between Boro and teams from the West Midlands this season. Last week's win at The Hawthorns confirmed that we are in a spell of revival and also brought us a hat-trick of away victories against the Midland sides this season.

Boro gained their first win of the season at St Andrew's back in August in a comfortable 3-0 victory that saw Mark Viduka score one of the goals of the season. In October Boro brought an end to the 'Sunday after Europe' jinx at Villa Park and last weekend's win at West Brom confirmed that this really was a thing of the past.

It's been a different story at home though as West Brom outplayed us at The Riverside in November and were unlucky to only get a draw. More recently, Villa provided what was hopefully our watershed moment of the season when they wasted us 4-0 just a month ago.

Ever since that awful day, Boro have never looked back having won four out of five matches and recorded back to back Premier league wins for the first time since decimalisation. In the process, we have made progress in both important cup competitions having seen off yet more Midlands opposition in the FA Cup in the shape of Nuneaton Borough and Coventry City.

A win for Boro will see us move on to thirty-four points, just six short of the mythical fourty needed to retain Premiership status. It doesn't always work like that of course but it's a good benchmark and the Birmingham match represents a good opportunity to see off fellow relegation strugglers and prove that we can dig deep when required.

Victory for Birmingham would take them out of the bottom three provided West Brom do not get at least a draw against Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime. Boro could leapfrog Aston Villa and Fulham if we gain all three points.

A draw against Birmingham will take Boro's all-time Premiership points tally to exactly 500 and Boro are defending a 100% home Premiership record against Birmingham. There has never been a draw between the two clubs in the Premiership.

Boro are seeking a first 'double' over Birmingham since 1978/79 and only a fourth in 107 years of League fixtures between the two clubs.

Birmingham are looking for back-to-back victories for the first time in fourty-four Premiership outings since the end of 2004 and they are without an away League victory in six matches. They have only chalked up one victory in eleven away games, that one coming at the Stadium of Light on 26th November. West Brom are the only other club they've beaten in away Premiership fixtures.

Mark Viduka has scored four goals in three Premiership appearances against Birmingham for Boro and is a hat trick short of scoring 100 goals in English and Scottish League football. Yakubu is two goals short of completing fifty English League goals.

BACK TO BIRMINGHAM MATCH PROGRAMME INDEX

BACK TO ARCHIVE INDEX

Sitemap || Search Site || Terms and Privacy || Set as Homepage || Bookmark Site