2nd tier* League fixture
*Then known as Division One

Birmingham City 2 Notts County 3
Frain (pen) 59                                               McSwegan 24
Saville 61                                                      Wilson 67
                                                                     Legg 81
 

Attendance :- 12,913
Referee:-  T. Heilbron (Co. Durham)
Weather:- Cold
Corners:- Blues 9 Notts 1
Goal attempts on target:- Blues 6 Notts 5
Goal attempts off target:- Blues 4 Notts 6
Bookings:- Dijkstra (Notts) for dissent and McSwegan (Notts) for a foul
 

Birmingham City
Colours:- Blue shirts, White shorts, Blue socks
League Position:- before match 22nd/24, after match 22nd/24
Manager:- Barry Fry

1.   Ian Bennett
2.   George Parris
3.   John Frain
4.   Paul Fenwick
5.   Richard Dryden
6.   Gary Cooper
7.   Ted McMinn
8.   Kenny Lowe
9.   Andy Saville
10. Paul Peschisolido
11. Neil Doherty

Sub: Steve McGavin *45
Sub: Miguel De Souza +45
Subs not used: Kevin Miller (GK)
 

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, White socks
League Position:- before match 13th/24, after match 10th/24
Manager:- Mick Walker

1.   Steve Cherry
2.   Charlie Palmer
3.   Meindert Dijkstra
4.   Phil Turner
5.   Colin Foster
6.   Michael Johnson +
7.   Andy Legg
8.   Mark Draper
9.   Gary Lund
10. Gary McSwegan
11. Peter Reid *

Sub: Kevin Wilson *45
Sub: Paul Cox +79
Subs not used: Bob Catlin (GK)

Video of the match:- Recorded for a goals report.
 

Up the Maggies note:
This was a good week to be a Notts fan, County had beaten Forest the previous Saturday and had then booked another trip to Wembley by beating Southend in the English Semi-final of the Anglo-Italian Cup in mid-week. The national press were bigging this Birmingham match up as a grudge match between Blues MD Karren Brady and Notts Chairman Derek Pavis, Brady was reported to have stormed out of the Meadow Lane directors lounge a month earlier over a harmless joke Pavis had made after Notts had beaten Birmingham in the re-arranged Tuesday night home fixture, The Sun ran another story about it with back page headlines on the morning of this match and Pavis was quoted as saying: "Karren Brady is a tart - I hope we screw them - in the football sense of the word". Notts fans were in good voice at St. Andrews singing something about Karren Brady's knickers and chanting "2-1, we beat the scum 2-1" (the latter being a reference to Forest, not Birmingham whom we had recently beaten by the same score). We also got to see the famous British boxer Frank Bruno who came onto the pitch before the game. The programme for the match had one of the silliest articles I've ever seen on my travels, page 3 had a "Supporters Charter" listing 8 aims which the Birmingham officials were hoping their fans would adhere to including: "Arrive at the stadium sober and at least 30 minutes before kick off", "Applaud good play and goals by BOTH teams", "Allow free kicks and penalties to be taken without distraction" and "Respect the decisions of the referee and linesman - they have a difficult job to do". No wonder they were relegated!
 

Nottingham Evening Post Report
By David Stapleton

WHEN it came to the crunch at Birmingham, chairman Derek Pavis let a Scotsman, Welshman and an Irishman do the talking for him and lift buoyant Notts County to within five points of the play-off zone.
The game crackled with entertainment value, too, compensating those who had seen the second round between Mr Pavis and Karren Brady as being too good to miss. Why, even Frank Bruno was there, not to mention a camera crew which focussed on the directors' box for the entire 90 minutes.
But the combatants themselves sat a dozen yards apart - avoiding the risk of the verbal sideswipes which started at Meadow Lane on January 11. The flak from Miss Brady, Birmingham managing director, has not only been directed at Mr Pavis and his ideas about who should and who should not enter football boardrooms. She is playing a leading role in a fight with Midland Independent Newspapers over a publication she claims “was sold on the back of the football club without any approval from or financial contribution to the club”. The local evening newspaper had its facilities at the ground withdrawn for the Notts match, when City kept their record going of not having won a match this year. They could have no complaints either, because a Magpies' side not surprisingly below its best after a surfeit of football recently could have scored six.
The Birmingham defence was woeful, always susceptible to County's quick breaks. And despite their attacking zest and passion they seldom brought a save from Steve Cherry. City's first goal in 59 minutes also came from a hotly contentious penalty, triggering off the marvellous excitement in which Notts fell behind before their fighting hearts won the day. No praise is too high for a side which twice in a week has come back from wearisome extra time in cup games to register league wins.
It proves their spirit and character, and with the skill and ability in the squad Notts can carry on climbing. Having won five of their last seven First Division games they are tenth, with successive home games to come against lowly pair Peterborough and Barnsley. The progress is as best epitomised by Scot Gary McSwegan as anyone. His lightning quick reactions at the far post put Notts in front after they had taken an early pounding. It was McSwegan's second goal in a week after his recent recall to the side and the prelude to one of his best performances since arriving at the club last summer. His quick, positive running did much to unnerve the home defence. He also got in several more creditable goal attempts and used the ball thoughtfully. "McSwegan, McSwegan! ..." bellowed delighted supporters at the end in a richly deserved salute to the £400,000 former Rangers' man, who now has 12 goals from only 23 starts.
Their joy had been punctuated with doubts, though, as Birmingham's two goals in two second half minutes put the side behind. First, the £1m rated Paul Peschisolido - not as effective as Mcswegan appeared to fall under Charlie Palmer’s challenge for the penalty, which John Frain put away. Andy Saville's far post header was most attributable to Frain's lovely curling cross.
But enter the Irishman and the Welshman to land the County pay off punches whichh Bruno -at St. Andrew's on behalf of a children's charity - would have approved of. Substitute Kevin Wilson's sweet strike was only his third goal since his arrival at Notts nearly two years ago, Legg's 81st minute effort - a tribute to his quick reactions and McSwegan's typical thrust - was his fifth goal for the club and his first since the 2-0 win at Bristol City on January 22.
 
 

Notts County Season 1993/94
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