Huddersfield hero Brandon revives the good old days as McLeish's Birmingham bow out

He is a welcome throwback to the era when divisions between amateurs and professionals were more blurred, precisely the sort of figure the modern day, money orientated game should not produce.

His match winner made him an unlikely candidate to join Herbert Chapman, Bill Shankly and Denis Law in Huddersfield folklore.

Before signing for Torquay in August 1999, Brandon had wound his way around the non-league scene, pursuing his dream as a part-timer who played for Bradford Park Avenue while gaining experience in the retail trade.

"I was a late starter," explained the midfielder. "I didn't sign pro forms until I was 23 at Torquay."

A taste of the real world has made him a fervent believer in the FA Cup.

"It's the best cup in the world for the lower clubs. It's a great feeling playing against Championship and Barclays Premier League teams," he added.

"The boys thoroughly deserved victory as a team. It's one of those days when you can't really describe it."

Brandon's story — and Birmingham's embarrassing exit — seems all the more extraordinary when one considers that neither he nor Luke Beckett is even a regular in Andy Ritchie's League One team.

"People who have not been playing as regularly as they would want to — Luke and Chris — have done fantastic and they've given me a task," said Ritchie.

The fourth-minute opener came when Danny Schofield went on a solo run, swapped passes with Brandon and shot.

When Maik Taylor parried the ball, the predatory Beckett buried the rebound.

With nine minutes remaining, Brandon volleyed in the winner from Beckett's deep cross to bring an emphatic end to his first start in nearly three months.

No wonder a man who could be forgiven for dreading life in the Pontin's Holidays League Central with Huddersfield's reserves is hoping for a fourthround tie with Manchester United.

Birmingham's underachieving stars came in for criticism from both managers, with a rebuke from Ritchie for the players who have prioritised the Premier League.

"Given the right run, Birmingham would be a club who could have won the FA Cup," he said.

"A lot of the cups are being devalued. But society has taken it that way and everybody is saying "We want to win the league" or "We want to be in Europe".

"But I think if you asked any manager who got to the final they would want to be there. We would love to be in the Johnstone's Paint Final — a day out at Wembley would be fantastic for us."

And Birmingham boss Alex McLeish said: "We should be better than that, without a doubt.

"We were insipid and we didn't play with enough conviction. We didn't show any quality at all and we had a lot of players who played well below their level. It was a very poor performance and the travelling fans deserved better."

Garry O'Connor equalised for Birmingham after Matt Glennon blocked Fabrice Muamba's shot but defeat left McLeish looking for quality and quantity in the transfer window.

He added: "We've been assessing the squad for seven weeks and we definitely have to add some faces.

"I know where I need to strengthen and it certainly shows we need a big improvement in terms of the players we do have."

The loss marked a major setback for McLeish but Brandon was sympathetic, saying: "Sometimes football is not always rosy."

But with comings and goings planned at St Andrew's, the match winner is more concerned about staying at the Galpharm Stadium.

"I thoroughly enjoy my time here," he said. "But I'm out of contract in the summer. I just want to enjoy my football and play for someone who wants me in the team."

Ritchie may find it hard to omit him when Gillingham visit Huddersfield on Saturday.