Following their relegation last season, the Blues have brilliantly bounced back at the first time of asking, and they will be playing second tier football yet again.
They first topped the table on matchday 6 and have always been within striking distance of the top of the table since then in what has been a stellar campaign.
Summary of the Season
Birmingham started the season with a disappointing draw against Reading, but that result quickly became insignificant as they established a winning momentum. A pivotal moment came when Scott Wright scored a dramatic injury time winner to see the Blues beat Wigan 2-1.
That goal meant confidence surged, as they started the campaign strongly by winning 8 of their first 10 matches, including a statement 3-1 victory against promotion rivals Wrexham.
City suffered a little mid-season blip with defeats against Charlton Athletic and Shrewsbury Town, as well as draws with Northampton and Mansfield. However, they learned from their mistakes in those games and they continued winning games into the crucial festive period.
Towards the business end of the season, Birmingham secured pivotal victories against promotion rivals. They beat an in-form Leyton Orient side 2-0, promotion rivals Wycombe Wanderers 1-0, and they earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Wrexham to ensure they stayed above their rivals.
A 6-2 battering of play-off chasing Barnsley left them on the brink of promotion, which they clinched thanks to a 2-1 victory against Peterborough United.
The Blues are still unbeaten at home this season and their scintillating form at St Andrew’s is part of the reason why Birmingham have had such an impressive campaign. They are still on track to break the League One and the EFL points records (103 and 106 respectively), which demonstrates just how dominant they have been this season.
As well as securing promotion, Birmingham will compete in the EFL trophy final against Peterborough. That final at Wembley gives them the opportunity to cap their season with another title.
The Manager and Key Players
Chris Davies was appointed as the boss over the summer for his first role as a first team manager, having previously had roles as assistant manager at Tottenham and Celtic.
Although he lacked experience, that did not derail the team, as a winning momentum was established early on and never relinquished. He regularly lined his team up in a 4-2-3-1 system, which maximised their ability to control games by maintaining possession, allowing them to smother teams and get the best out of their key players.
Following relegation, Birmingham managed to retain some crucial players from their Championship season, including captain Krystien Bielik, Ethan Laird and Paik Seung-Ho. Jay Stansfield also permanently following his loan spell last season, and he has scored 18 goals to date to secure some vital victories that have fired the Blues to promotion.
Birmingham’s new ownership group, including NFL superstar Tom Brady, provided Davies with a war-chest to spend over the summer. New signings included Alfie May, who had top-scored in League One last season, and Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes to join Jay Stansfield in attack and add depth to a fierce forward line.
Willum Thór Willumsson arrived from Go Ahead Eagles in the Eredivisie to be the creative spark, whilst Tomoki Iwata arrived from Celtic to partner Paik in midfield. They were joined in the midfield department by loan signings Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Kieran Dowell, who both added Championship experience and quality to the squad.
Former Liverpool man Ben Davies and Darmstadt’s Cristoph Klarer also joined, offering pivotal top-flight experience to Birmingham’s backline. These signings formed a shield in front of the experienced Ryan Allsop in goal, and because of them City have kept 18 clean sheets and only conceded 29 goals all season.
The summer signings offered quality and flair and have been instrumental as the Blues dominated the league in a fashion that is very rarely seen.
Future Expectations
At the start of the season Birmingham were expecting to earn promotion. However, many relegated teams do not rebound back to the Championship straight away, making the style in which they have achieved that goal even more impressive.
They will be confident of avoiding relegation back down next season, and they will be likely hoping to secure a first Championship top half finish since 2016.
Their main ambition is clear, as the Blues are optimistic about copying Ipswich and securing back-to-back promotions to reach the Premier League. Based off the commanding season they have had this time around, it would be foolish to bet against them.
