MACHEDA NETS DOUBLE

Manchester United striker Federico Macheda scored two goals for Birmingham City, where his playing on loan until the end of the season, to help the club record a 3-3 draw with Burnley at home.

It has been a tough few weeks for the club, as their owner has been found guilty of tax evasion and will now spend the next few years in jail. Further, they have been slipping down the table and are now closer to the relegation zone. Hence, three points was the need of the hour for Birmingham from their home match against Burnley.

The pulsating encounter looked to be heading for a defeat for Birmingham as they trailed Burnley with only minutes remaining after a goal from Sam Vokes in the 86th minute. However, Macheda, who had scored an equaliser earlier in the match, stepped up once again to find the back of the net in injury time to send the home fans in ecstatic mood. Manager Lee Clark said after the encounter that there was no doubt that Birmingham deserved this point after the effort they have put into the match.

The brilliant result against a team chasing automatic promotion will certainly help them perform well in the coming matches. The club, though, have had just one win in the last five league matches.

“Without a doubt we deserved that. That’s why the emotion was there at the end, I was celebrating like I was, for the fans, for the players. If they had come off that pitch losing the game, it would have been criminal for their efforts. We were brave, we created chances. They stuck to the game plan. There was nothing in the first-half. We made half an error and got punished to go 1-0 down,” said Clark. Birmingham’s next match will be against Sheffield Wednesday away from home.

BIRMINGHAM STRUGGLE

The Championship club Birmingham City has struggled in this season trying to keep their head above water as they scrape the lower section of the league and after not being able to pick up positive results in their home turf, it has been officially announced that the assistant manager and the first team coach of the club have been sacked.

Terry McDermott and Derek Fazackerley was the duo in charge of implementing the formation and tactics for Birmingham City but after not being able to win in their home stadium after 11 matches it was only a matter of time until the club went through a few changes of their own.

The former Everton player Steve Watson is being linked as the man to be the next assistant manager of Birmingham City and he is expected to be joined along with Richard Beale and John Vaughan.

The manager of the club, Lee Clark has denied saying that anybody has been sacked although confirmation from the media has been announced.

Clark stated: “We had a discussion at the weekend, a debriefing of the game with players and staff. As I said, no one has been sacked. We had a discussion. And, as you know in employment, once that happens, it has to go down the legal route and that is where we are at the moment. For legal reasons I can’t divulge much more we are discussions with the two guys.”

John Vaughan will remain being the club’s goalkeeper coach while Richard Beale is expected to retain his position as development squad manager.

“John has always been in that position in the dugout, but the two other lads move into those roles and it will be of great help and great support to us,” Clark added.