VERTU TROPHY FINAL PREVIEW
BIRMINGHAM CITY v PETERBOROUGH UTD Today, Kick-off: 3pm
BARRY Fry says victory over Birmingham in today’s Vertu Trophy final would be the biggest upset in the history of football.
“And I mean it,” laughs Peterborough’s ebullient director of football, who turned 80 on Monday. “It’s David and Goliath. Foinavon winning the National. It’s going to take a miracle for us to win this. A miracle.”
Fry’s scepticism is well-founded. Whilst last year’s Trophy winners are enduring a season to forget, big-spending Birmingham have waltzed to promotion.
The League One title is a formality and such is the financial might of American owner Tom Wagner that another promotion tilt next term isn’t out of the question.
“They’ve got the biggest fanbase in the league,” says Fry, who watched from the stands as Birmingham sealed promotion with a 2-1win at London Road on Tuesday evening.
“They spent £12m on one player (Jay Stansfield) – and he was on the bench when they beat us the other night! They’ll break every record that you could imagine. They’ll do the double like us 30 years ago when I was at Birmingham.
“We’ll have two 19-year-olds playing full-back and almost certainly the youngest team ever to play at Wembley.
“But there’s always an upset sometimes, isn’t there? And I’m hoping and praying that we cause the upset.”
Even if they don’t, Fry will be happy to see his former club taste more success after a decade of financial strife. The former Barnet boss spent three years in charge at St Andrew’s and is fondly remembered for winning the aforementioned double of League One title and EFL Trophy in 1995.
“We won the title the year that they were shrinking the Premier League, so only the champions went up that year,” he recalls. “And we won the Trophy the first time it was ever decided by a Golden Goal.
“Paul Tait, a Birmingham lad, came on in the Wembley final and scored. Ricky Otto beat three or four players, crossed it and he headed it in. So one of our own won that. The crowd was amazing. What a noise they made, the Bluenoses.
“They’ve been in turmoil for years, not knowing who the owner is or where the money is coming from. But they’ve stuck by the club so they deserve everything they’re getting now.”
And Posh do have one good omen on their side -Fry himself, who has never tasted defeat at Wembley in 63 years as a player, manager, owner or director.
“I’ve been to Wembley eight times at various clubs and won them all, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t lose my record,” he says.
“Like I say, I don’t fancy my chances. But hopefully they’ve been celebrating promotion all week, we can play out of our skins and we get that little bit of luck you need to win any competition. Win, lose or draw, it’ll be a great occasion.”
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