Birmingham City did not sign a striker during the transfer window. Manager Alex McLeish tried in vain to bring in several players and their inability to add to their firepower actually provoked chairman Carson Yeung to apologise to the fans in the match programme. He needn’t have bothered.

 

The well-travelled yet prolific goal machine that is Kevin Phillips finally got a shot at the Premier League 2010 and took it with aplomb. Two goals in the closing minutes after coming off the bench showed exactly what he can still do to Premier League defences. Birmingham were trailing to a Kevin Doyle goal when Phillips was introduced and changed the game. At the tender age of 36, Phillips has not lost the knack to score goals. "I told myself I need to be patient and be ready to take my chance," said the former Sunderland and West Brom striker, "The gaffer pulled me in after the transfer window and said although he'd wanted to get a new striker in, he didn't mean it to be disrespectful to me. He said now that the window was shut, you're going to get chances. I think I've proved there's still a bit in the tank yet."

McLeish himself was full of praise for the forward. "Kevin will never lose the ability he's got," said McLeish. "He'll go bald, lose his teeth and legs but he'll always have that technique and touch of a top player. He ghosts into spaces where the ball might drop. It's the hallmark of a genius."