The first things to catch the eye were the police vehicles. Or rather, the lack of them. Whereas there had been about 40 in the Sandwell Academy car park three hours prior to last weekend’s meeting between West Bromwich Albion and Wolves, this time there were just two.
Only five miles separate The Hawthorns from St Andrew’s yet traditionally, Albion’s relationship with Birmingham has nothing of the animosity that characterises Albion’s meetings with Wolves or Aston Villa.
Fans from both clubs mingled on the roads and beside the hot dog vans around the ground and the Birmingham bus arrived without incident.