Birmingham City goalkeeper Ryan Allsop has admitted the Christmas period has been difficult for his teammates as they continue their hectic festive schedule.
Alongside Crawley Town, the Blues have perhaps had the toughest schedule in League One having played three games over a six day period. With the majority of teams in the division playing on December 21st in the last fixture before Boxing Day, Birmingham had the unenviable task of travelling to West Sussex on the 23rd, with the game selected for broadcast on Sky Sports.
The West Midlanders secured a 1-0 victory and followed that with a simple 2-0 win over Burton Albion a couple of days later. However, a run of six successive maximum point hauls came to an end yesterday when they drew 0-0 with Blackpool at St Andrew’s.
Allsop Admits ‘Crazy’ Schedule
Speaking to Birmingham Live, Allsop admits the schedule has been crazy, but praised his teammates for how they have dealt with the situation:
“It’s crazy. The physicality it takes for the outfield boys to go and implement our style of play is so taxing on the body.
“We made a lot of changes and we have done over the course (of Christmas). It shows how difficult it is, not only from a physical point of view, but the mental fatigue to carry out instructions to the standard we’ve shown is difficult.”
Allsop had to be patient after joining Birmingham in the summer. He played second fiddle to Bailey Peacock-Farrell for the opening seven games of the season, but with the Blues conceding eight times, the 32-year-old was given his chance in early October. It’s one he has grasped with both hands:
“I’m really pleased. Being a goalkeeper I want clean sheets and the boys in front of me have been magnificent. It’s not just the back four, we’re very good at defending from the front. The front players set our press off so well and nullify teams.
“The lads coming in and out the back four have protected me really well and I’m really pleased to be playing a part in it as well.”
Writer’s View
Few will have sympathy for Birmingham’s hectic schedule, mainly due to the size of their squad and ability to rotate. However, they did enter the festive period in excellent form and it’s not a surprise to see adjustments to their team cause a drop in points. A draw against Blackpool isn’t the worst result in the world though, and it will be interesting to see if they can return to winning ways against Stockport County on New Year’s Day.
