Reds Given The Blues

Birmingham City 5-1 Nottingham Forest (Women’s Super League 2)

Another Sunday watching Forest women, but this time it’s across the A42 and to Birmingham as I’m given the green light by the Mrs to work my two day weekend in the cause of our summer holiday fund.

During the ‘Karen Carney’ years, Birmingham City were a major force in the English game, twice finishing Women’s Super League runners up, they won the FA Cup in 2012 and made a number of League Cup finals too.

They had England internationals like Rachel Williams, Rachel Unitt and Laura Bassett, whilst Nottingham Forest at the time if memory kids me right, were kicking around the regional leagues non affiliated to the men’s football club like it is today, playing on local pitches just for the love of the game.

Forest’s rise in recent years has seen them, like their men’s team, become a bit of a disrupter, throwing their Greek owned cash around to dominate the third tier National North which they twice won in 2022/23 and then in 2024/25, to eventually gain promotion to the second tier of English football.

This season has been good, they have (like their men’s team) brought in a huge number of transfers, over the last week or so incomings include Libby Smith, Joy Omewa, Rebekeh Dowsett, Lianne Kiernan and Cerys Brown, men or women it always seems hard to keep up with ongoings at the City Ground.

I’ve walked the dog, got back home and chilled for a bit, but I soon notice that Villa are at home against Brentford today, and that kick off is 2pm like the one between Blues and Reds at St Andrews, so I get in the car for midday and head out, in the know that the traffic around Spaghetti Junction and the A38 will be (as always on matchday) a nightmare.

Luckily I’ve found another way, after heading across the A42 and shortly onto the M6 I’m off at junction 5 where I hop onto the Fort Parkway besides Jaguar Castle Bromwich, which runs parallel with the motorway, it takes me down the Heartlands Parkway and through Duddleston before joining the Lawley Middleway, all the while I’ve been getting nearer to a magnificent curved rail bridge under construction for the long going HS2, it’s huge, as I finally drive besides it, I see a man underneath taking pictures.

The Venue

I’ve pulled up at the top of Kingston Road which gives you a panoramic view of Birmingham city centre to the west, the cantilevers of St Andrews Stadium's Gill Merrick Stand roof (above the houses) to the east, it’s a short five minute walk up the Coventry Road to the ground, parking, as always when the women play in these stadiums, often plentiful.

I’m through the club car park where I spot the Forest bus, huge tree logo emblazoned on its side. You get the feel this place these days, once a rundown stadium that hardly looked appealing to visitors, has had a real lick of paint, and some care due attention, the new owners, SCL, a US consortium ran by Tom Wagner with a well-known minority investor in NFL star Tom Brady, they have really spent to clean this old home up, it feels newly loved, appreciated, underneath the Kop stand which I’m in is a nice redone eatery area, I can’t not have a pie and brew, something to line the Sunday early afternoon stomach.

I take my steak pukka pie outside and sit down midway between halfway and the eighteen yard box, just twelve rows up, in the mix, still early, there’s girls warming up, not many fans have yet taken pews.

Just the Kop in use today, the rest of the stadia empty, the two ends feel huge, vast, it’s very open here, blue is the colour, the stand opposite, the Main Stand, like when I was at Forest in the week, is an old one, but you feel they’ve really given it a makeover, the clock in its centre is stunning, the words Birmingham City – Football Club, either side along the roof.

Up on the big screen at each end there’s an endless loop of a video promoting the much anticipated new stadium, it looks like something between Spurs and Everton’s super new homes, but with several chimneys on top, it’ll certainly be iconic, standalone, it looks stunning, but you can’t help feel they’ll be many regulars who will miss this place, if that 62,000 monster ever gets the go ahead.

The Game

I’ve finished my pie and it’s probably the most satisfied I’ve ever felt after eating food, severely underrated are Pukka and what they do for the English game, a staple, that if you are not from this country, you must try, if ever sitting watching a football game.

The girls come out of the corner of the ground and walk out to fireworks, as dads and daughters, mums and sons, all applaud, there’s a total number of 1,553 inside this near 30,000 seater stadium, but plenty of atmosphere, as a few Forest fans sat in front of me sing, one has a tambourine which he uses every now and again to rally his troops into voice.

Birmingham in all blue are the early enforcers, Forest sit off, I’m impressed with the hosts who look dangerous down both flanks, I find all their best football in the Forest third, whilst all Forest’s best football is played in Forest’s own third, it’s a big gulf in class which is weird, because Forest have plenty of highly regarded footballers, Birmingham though could go second with a win, they are a real strong challenger to return to the top flight, the Reds just happy this season to get to grips with the league they are in.

It doesn’t take long for Birmingham to score, Greek international Sarri races down the left and shoots low, her shot takes a nick off Georgia Brougham along the way, the Blues deservedly one up.

It’s attack verses defence but Reds keeper Batty has little to do in the first half, Birmingham combine well down the right with McKenna overlapping the talented looking Crosthwaite, both are very good, the home side have sniffs to increase their advantage, but Forest every now and again break themselves, in Deanna Rose, in new signing Joy Omewa, they have a couple of outlets who seem to carry the ball single handily into opposition territory, and on the stroke of half time, it’s Omewa who’s sent racing away, she belts the ball hard and low and Forest are level.

The Score

You feel the goal is against the run of play, out of the blue, it’s a bit smash and grab, but certainly tactic of a good away performance, to soak up pressure and hit a decent football side on the break, but despite one or two entries into the Birmingham box, it’s been largely controlled by the Blues, and in the second half, parity is soon restored, just a couple of minutes in, Sarri crosses brilliantly from the left, Liedhammer heads home from close range, and the Blues supporters all race back from under the stands to see their side again in front.

Forest make a couple of changes as they go for a leveller, they are by all means not out of this game, and have their fair chunk of possession without really penetrating much, but out of nothing, Lotta Lindstrom shoots low from 20 yards and adds a third on 72, Forest then fall apart in six crazy minutes, Lindstrom is sent through to blast home her second after a defensive mistake, she then adds a third on 78, her hat-trick goal in super quick time, the 21 year-old Finn flying is then substituted to a standing ovation.

There’s still time for Hurtre to hammer the bar, the Reds themselves have a few near misses after Birmingham step off the gas, by the final of the sixth minute of injury time is allocated, you feel it’s like a one-sided boxing match, which should have been stopped, a long, long time ago.

The Stars

I was disappointed with Forest having watched them win last week, they have a lot of good players, in the prime of their careers, but none of them perhaps good enough to get in this brilliant Birmingham side, perhaps with the exception of Joy Omewa, a 23-year-old striker from Nigeria, she has a fantastic record in Denmark, playing for Fortuna Hjorring, a strong physical centre forward with a bullet finish, she might enjoy playing over here in England, she'll certainly score goals.

Deanna Rose again is one that could potentially play at the level Birmingham are at, disappointing at Leicester in the league above, she carries the ball forward well and is a decent outlet on the right, Chloe Mustaki having a good game at the back, a combative defender who despite the score line, did well.

For Birmingham City, they had plenty of positives from an assured goalkeeper to lethal centre forward, the star of the lot, was Lotta, of course, she had a good game up until her goals, and taken her chances very well, she’s on loan from London City Lionesses.

I really liked a lot of what the Blues did, Rebecca McKenna a true warrior but with speed and good ball skill, she started at right back, played brilliantly, and ended up at centre back where she was equally as good.

McKenna teamed up well with Lily Crosthwaite a right sider with plenty of ability, whilst the tall Shannon Cooke at centre half was brilliant, as was the shorter more diminutive Asato Miyagawa in midfield.

As a forward force though, the Blues were too much for Forest, often linking up well through Wilma Liedhammar, who would often find left sider Veatriki Sarri, who was always a threat, even the bench looked strong for Birmingham who had young French star Oceane Hutre who they signed in the summer from Paris Saint-Germain. Some really good players at Coach Amy Merricks disposal.

The Verdict

Like Forest, you feel Birmingham City is a club that under good ownership, is really going places, unlike Forest, I feel they are a little more advanced with their women’s team, and they could be going places this very year, promotion now looks like a realistic possibility to the WSL.

Birmingham are now just three points off leaders Charlton but second place goes up into the expanded WSL for next season, whilst third also guarantees a playoff against the bottom side in the division above (probably Liverpool).

For Forest, well this was, at least, good learning, they didn’t look out of place against a strong Birmingham side, perhaps a little too much respect given, they were simply blown away in six lethal Lotta Lindstrom minutes, asides that, they still have a bit to do if they are to break into the bracket above, their signings will need time to settle, if they can finish mid table this season, then next, is perhaps a year they can really progress?

The Teams

Birmingham City: Adrianna Franch, Rebecca Holloway, Neve Herron (Martha Harris 45), Shannon Cooke, Rebecca McKenna, Chelsea Cornet (Lee Geum-Min 78), Asato Miyagawa, Wilma Leidhammar (Shanade Hopcroft 58), Veatriki Sarri (Oceane Hurtre 78), Lily Crosthwaite, Lotta Lindstrom (Batcheba Louis 79).

Nottingham Forest: Emily Batty, Georgia Brougham, Chloe Mustaki, Deanne Rose (Leanne Kiernan 73), Amy Rodgers, Tove Almqvist (Libby Smith 64), Ebba Hed, Rachel Rowe, Joy Omewa (Hollie Olding 64), Cerys Brown, Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah.

2:00pm Kick Off. Sunday 1st February 2026, St Andrews, Birmingham (att 1,553).