Birmingham City v QPR

penalty shootout regarding the level of analysis both
before the match and during the showdown, which in
this instance was a success for Blues.
“It is the takers’ orders, looking back on shootouts
they have been involved in. Do they have a certain
side? Do they go late or early? Do they take winning
penalties? You look in more depth.
“[Matt] Godden took the first one and I changed
my mind because of the walk up and how he placed
the ball. He whipped it across, and I was annoyed at
myself for not going that way. The next one, he had
a tendency to drill the ball central around where the
trailing legs would be. I had a thing in my mind that
I would go to my right but slow my dive and leave a
trailing leg – thankfully it hit my stud.
“Jamie Allen took one and I don’t think we had him
on the list. So, I had to look at how he was playing in
the game, in terms of his passing technique. I went
with the instinct to go left and I was able to get my
top hand across to it.”
Camp’s playing career, which began at Derby
County in 2002 and included international caps
for Northern Ireland at the start of the last decade,
saw him foil many a striker across nearly 600
professional appearances, and he told Blues News
about how his tactics as a ‘keeper were constantly
evolving.
“Early on in my career, there wasn’t as much video
to be accessed. I used to keep a black book of people
who took penalties and details on them. You could
always get away with more in terms of the officials
being lenient with you coming off your line.
“Later on, you were so conscious of coming off your
line. I would stand back in the goal and move forward
to make the goal seem like it was getting smaller,
but then the linesman was telling me to stand on the
line. You had to focus more on things and look at the
player’s body language and look at the video.”
In two years from August 2018, Camp would don the
gloves on 86 occasions for Blues’ First Team, proving
a popular figure both on and off the pitch. He still
holds strong connections to people in and around the
Club and was part of BBC Radio WM’s coverage of the
trip to Preston North End on Tuesday night, with the
39-year-old providing an assessment of the earlyseason
form of John Eustace’s side.
“I think they have had a positive start. It is not
surprising that this summer has been quiet in
terms of the noise coming out of the club. The new
ownership has come with fanfare, but things look
calm from the outside, there is no negative press, no
hysteria. The Head Coach has had a year at the helm,
been able to assess his squad, and had control with
outgoings and incomings. He has got a good blend of
youth that has come through, as well as experience in
the team.”
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