Blues take the Savage derbyDominic Fifield at Villa Parkguardian.co.uk, Tuesday 4 March 2003 17.10 GMTSomewhere amid the chaos, beneath the violent skirmishes in the stands, the flurry of red cards on the pitch and the purring menace of police helicopters hovering above, Birmingham won a football match here last night. This morning the repercussions of that win will be felt keenly across the Second City.A first double in 26 years over their bitter rivals has hoisted Steve Bruce's side six points from the cut-off at the foot of the Premiership, sending the banks of blue in the Witton Road stand delirious on the whistle, but this was a ferocious blur of a match which will be remembered less for its football and more for its poison.By the end Villa had been reduced to nine men with Robbie Savage, later substituted for his own good, confronted by a livid home fan who had eluded the numerous riot police stationed around the touchline.Dion Dublin's head-butt on the Welsh international, within a foot of the referee Mark Halsey, and Joey Gudjonsson's horrific two-footed lunge on Matthew Upson 10 minutes from time prompted the dismissals and, justified as the cards were, they provoked ugly scenes among the supporters spilling out of the Doug Ellis Stand.The Villa chairman, deadpan on the final whistle, endured vicious abuse from disgruntled home fans as they traipsed away in disgust. This was the first league derby in this arena since 1987; 16 years of rancour had duly erupted. Now Villa fans will have to cope with the aftermath. Dublin's late sliding challenge on Savage - the Welshman ever eager to collapse at the merest hint of contact - prompted a melee five minutes after the interval in which the forward, having wrestled himself away from Halsey, clearly head-butted Savage.The pair have a history of bad blood dating from Savage's spell at Leicester City and they had clashed after a mere three seconds of this match to set the tone for the remainder. After the second-half spat the Welshman clutched his face; Dublin was promptly dismissed and trudged off down the tunnel mouthing "He's a cheat" to a TV camera.With him effectively went the match. Just over 20 minutes later Jeff Kenna, wriggling away from Alan Wright on the right touchline, crossed and his centre eluded the substitute Geoff Horsfield and Olof Mellberg at the near post for the unmarked Stan Lazaridis to nod into the unguarded net. "He's beaten us in the cricket and now gone and scored a diving header," said Bruce, who substituted the Australian 10 seconds later. "Wonders will never cease."Within three minutes that much became clear. Villa's goalkeeper Peter Enckelman had spent six months rebuilding his career after his unfathomable error in the St Andrews derby when he let Mellberg's innocuous throw graze his studs and trickle pathetically into the visitors' net to double City's lead. That memory is still liable to send Brummies flying into fits of either rage or giggles depending upon their allegiance, though now they have a choice of Enckelman clangers.Jlloyd Samuel's header back should have been easily gathered but, as Horsfield bore down on the Finn, the goalkeeper visibly shirked the challenge and allowed the marauding forward to poke the ball free, round the keeper and stroke it into the net. Enckelman sank to his knees in dismay.The goalscorer, not content with the humiliation already inflicted, later took over between the posts at the other end after Nico Vaesen strained knee ligaments in a fall, with City's three substitutions already spent.What football did emerge from the tumult was utterly devoid of poise, with Gudjonsson's pummelled free-kick over the bar on the stroke of half-time Villa's only meaningful attempt. The Icelandic international had earlier been spat at by Christophe Dugarry who could well find himself in hot water today.
Pints are on you tonight, then
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