LOVE AND TAIT

THIRTY years ago, Paul Tait split a city in half - all by wearing a T-shirt - and he's lived with the fall-out ever since.

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This week, like most weeks, he's been walking his dogs and the episode for which he has become most famous will rear its head again. More of that later.

Tait scored a golden goal in the final of the Auto Windscreen Shield as Birmingham beat Carlisle - the competition which is the forerunner to the Vertu Trophy (right) that his beloved club will contest at Wembley tomorrow against Peterborough.

He raised his shirt in triumph, only to reveal an expletive-laden barb at Blues’ cross-city rivals Aston Villa.

The story of the day is as crazy as the story for which Tait later became notorious.

"There was no guarantee that I'd play," said Tait. "A few of us had a virus and Ricky Otto and I had to prove our fitness in a reserve game.

"We got through it and went straight down to Waltham Abbey, to the team hotel, in Ricky’s flash BMW.

"The music is blasting away because myself and Ricky were into the rave scene.