Picture the scene – February 2005, cold as hell. Blues haven’t won in four league games and are slowly sliding down the table. The transfer window had just ended and Blues have made three signings on deadline day – Jermaine Pennant (complete with electronic tag on his ankle), Mehdi Nafti and Walter Pandiani – in an attempt to arrest their slide down the table and ensure Premier League football would continue at St Andrews.

The very fact Pandiani played was down to the miracle of the fax machine with Blues signing him right on the deadline. In fact, as it later came out the actual fax came through at FA HQ sometime after midnight but as the crucial time is when the fax was initially transmitted, Blues were able to bring the Uruguayan in on loan – much to Harry Redknapp’s consternation. More on that later.

Bruce put the South American straight into the first XI – despite having arrived the day before, sans boots and without a word of the lingo. Pennant also started the game on the right flank whilst the third signing of the bunch, Mehdi Nafti had to content himself on the bench. Heskey got himself injured in the warm-up which meant Robbie Blake got the nod to partner el rifle up front.

At the time, my season ticket seat was in the Kop, around the half way line and about half way up the block. Blues were (unusually) attacking the Tilton end in the first half, and thus I got to see Jermaine Pennant do his stuff down the right wing straight off. However, the first effort on goal originated on the left hand side, Gray hitting a deep cross which Pennant headed back and Pandiani volleyed over.

It only took twelve minutes for the Pennant/Pandiani combination to result in a goal; a long ball punted up the right hand channel found Pennant in space and his cross was a peach; Pandiani rose to head home a nice and simple goal to open his account. Wow – Pandiani, another Championship Manager player I’d signed years back had scored, with ease, at St Andrews. Even a goal up, Blues kept attacking Southampton – Pandiani hit one that was blocked by Lundekvam and I remember Jamie Clapham hit a thunderbolt that the Southampton keeper Niemi only just kept out. The second goal came just before half-time; Pennant again down the right passed inside for Melchiot, who looked to get to the goalline before cutting it back only to be pulled down by Jamie Redknapp. Robbie Blake stepped up to take the resultant penalty and he fair smashed it home for his first goal for the club – 2-0.

In the second half Blues continued their season long theme of not being able to play consistently well for 90 minutes, and the Saints got one back via a stunning goal from sub Henri Camara’s turn and shot from Crouch’s knock-down. With it at 2-1 Southampton put the pressure on us and I remember Prutton getting in sight of goal after a misplaced pass but he couldn’t finish it. Blues held out and won 2-1.

Blues weren’t beaten at home again that season and finished 12^th in the table; Southampton however fell into deeper trouble with the defeat and finished the season bottom on 32 points. One postscript that I can recall was Harry Redknapp (who people may recall isn’t amongst my favourite people in the world) grumbled about the signing of Pandiani, saying that it was too late and threatened to put in a protest – however that never materialised as Blues had done nothing wrong.

Walter Pandiani played thirty-six games for Birmingham City and scored six goals.

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