ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP:THE GLOOM was proving hard to dispel yesterday at the Birmingham City training ground where Alex McLeish sought to pick his players up after Saturday's home defeat by Preston and steady their nerves ahead of Sunday's make-or-break game at Reading.
Briefly, it seemed on Saturday as though Dublin's Keith Fahey might have rounded off a dream start to his City career with the goal that took them back up to the Premier League. Just three minutes later, though, Preston were back on terms and Ross Wallace's spectacular late free left the Blues with just a single point advantage (and inferior goal difference) over third-placed Sheffield United with one round of games left to play.
"Everybody's been really gutted since," says the 26-year-old midfielder for whom Saturday's was game number 64 in an extended season that stretched all the way back to March of last year when he was with St Patrick's Athletic, "but we know we can't dwell on it too much, that we have to be buzzing when we're preparing for the weekend.
"The gaffer was straight enough about it. He just said that we had two chances to make sure of promotion and that we'd blown one of them. He said that the important thing now is to concentrate on wrapping it up at the second attempt."
Fahey's headed goal was somewhat out of character with the Irishman heading home his third in 18 games since arriving in the English midlands. "There was one against Linfield last year," he recalls, "but overall you could probably count the number I've scored with my head on the fingers of one hand. I was pleased with it though, I thought it was an important goal but it hasn't ended up counting for anything really."
Saturday's defeat was just the latest setback for a promotion-chasing team that has not managed to win even half of its games which, Fahey reckons, is just an indication of how tight a division the championship is."I mean, we went to Charlton a few weeks ago and drew but we could easily have lost or nicked it and aside from Preston's 6-0 win over Cardiff - which was just a freak result - there's nobody really hammering anybody else in this division."
City, of course, can't complain too much about the topsy-turvy nature of the promotion race for Reading would have booked their place back in the top flight weeks ago had they maintained their form from the first half of the season.
Instead, 25 points from 20 games since Christmas left them prior to last night's game at Norwich needing two wins and favours from both of their rivals in order to grab second spot.
"Yeah, it's amazing," acknowledges Fahey, "that they could go into freefall the way they have but still be in a position to take the last automatic promotion place if they can win tonight (last night) and on Sunday." But, he insists; "It's still us that's in the driving seat. If we beat them then it's us that goes up, there's nothing that any of the other clubs can do so that's what we've got to concentrate on now."
For Fahey, promotion to the Premier League would be a dream come true but it's one he's trying to avoid contemplating just yet.
"I think it's gone well since I came over here. I've adapted well to the pace of it all and gotten stronger and I really think there's more to come but for the moment I don't want to think about anything beyond this game on Sunday."
Last Round (Next Sunday)
(all games kick-off at 1.15pm)
Burnley v Bristol City, C Palace v Sheffield Utd, Charlton v Norwich, Ipswich v Coventry, Nottingham For v Southampton, Plymouth v Barnsley, Preston NE v QPR, Reading v Birmingham, Sheffield Wednesday v Cardiff, Swansea v Blackpool, Watford v Derby, Wolves v Doncaster.
