Troy Deeney wins on Birmingham homecoming – after Blues print his name WRONG in programme ahead of Derby match
IF at first you don't succeed - try Troy again.
Boyhood Blues fan Troy Deeney may have been the name on everyone's lips as he came off the bench to finally fulfil his ambition of playing for the club he worships.
But someone clearly didn't tell Birmingham City's programme printers as the most famous Blues fan in the business was listed as Troy DENNEY in his own matchday programme on his big night.
You have to suspect there is an Aston Villa fan in the printing business who had a great tale to tell his mates in the local boozer on Friday night.
SunSport columnist Deeney eventually fulfilled his destiny when he made his long-awaited entrance after 67 minutes.
He replaced Lukas Jutkiewicz to a massive roar from the fans he used to stand alongside and clearly lapped up every minute of it.
No wonder.
By then, Blues were already well on their way to three more valuable points which elevated them to fourth in the table.
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Scott Hogan hooked in his side's first goal at St Andrew's this season after 31 minutes with his third goal of the campaign to bring up the striker's half-century of Championship strikes.
But it was his strike partner Jutkiewicz who did all the spadework to suggest Deeney's presence had already had an effect on his two fellow forwards - before he even hit the pitch.
And Lee Bowyer's upwardly mobile Blues killed off Derby nine minutes from the end when Jeremie Bela seized on a favourable break of the ball.
The Angolan left-back took a sublime touch just inside the Derby box before ramming the ball beyond Kelle Roos.
Meanwhile Wayne Rooney cut a frustrated figure after watching his side play plenty of neat football without finding an end product.
How he could do with a Deeney of his own.
His patched up Derby dominated and had 67 per cent of first-half possession but they failed to pack a punch.
'SUCKER-BLOW'
What's more they ended up flooring themselves with a self-inflicted sucker-blow.
Left back Lee Buchanan was pressed in possession just after the half hour mark and panicked to send a blind back-pass in the general direction of Curtis Davies.
He might have got away with it against many Championship teams who only play with one up front.
But Blues' double act of Jutkiewicz and Hogan know the ropes and Jutkiewicz had sensed the panic in Rams ranks.
He intercepted the wayward pass and, although goalkeeper Roos did brilliantly to block two attempts from the striker, the ball fell to Jutkiewicz's other half.
And Hogan kept his cool to expertly steer the ball high past Davies on the goalline.
Derby kept trying to play out from the back, which was admirable.
But it was a risky policy and they almost gifted Hogan a second when Phil Jagielka slipped and the striker's first-time chip drifted narrowly wide with Roos stranded.
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Rooney will reflect on the fact it took his team more than an hour to test Matija Sarkic when the keeper pushed away a Tom Lawrence shot from 20 yards.
But this was always destined to be Deeney's night.
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