Birmingham City were relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time since 1995, but look well on course to bounce back up to the Championship at the first time of asking.
Blues look set to earn automatic promotion back to the Championship at the first attempt, as they lead the way in first place with 14 games to go. Chris Davies’ side have been impressive since a heavy round of investment from the owners in the summer.
| Position | Team | Played | W | D | L | For | Against | GD | Points |
| 1 | Birmingham City | 32 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 54 | 19 | 35 | 76 |
| 2 | Wycombe Wanderers | 33 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 58 | 32 | 26 | 64 |
| 3 | Wrexham | 33 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 48 | 28 | 20 | 62 |
| 4 | Stockport County | 34 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 51 | 33 | 18 | 60 |
| 5 | Huddersfield Town | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 47 | 31 | 16 | 58 |
| 6 | Charlton Athletic | 33 | 16 | 8 | 9 | 45 | 31 | 14 | 56 |
Relegation could have been a major setback for the new Birmingham owners, but they have taken it in their stride by investing in a promotion-capable squad, including a big-money move to bring back Jay Stansfield from Fulham permanently after a successful loan stint last term.
In a league still littered with big names, Birmingham have stood out among the rest. Naturally, following relegation, wins have been easier to come by this season, which may help to get more fans onside and enjoying games again in the ground, too.
As the feel-good factor and optimism grows at Birmingham, they are already thinking of next season, but also what could be a historic campaign through a league and cup double via the EFL Trophy in 2025.
A final at Wembley awaits them against Peterborough United, but a 1-0 win over second-placed Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday also saw them move well clear in the automatic promotion race, setting a new record on the way.
Promotion is already in their sights, but a record-breaking campaign is also on the cards. In 2022/23, Plymouth Argyle pipped Ipswich Town to the title with 101 points, which is likely to be smashed to pieces by Birmingham in the final 14 games of their season.
That Plymouth side and Charlton Athletic in 2011/12 had accrued 72 points at the 32-game stage of the season, with Steven Schumacher speaking to BBC Radio Devon at the time explaining his thoughts on their achievements that season.
He said: “For any club in any time in any league to get over 100 points is a milestone.
“For us to get 101 and to do it under the intense pressure that we have from Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley and Ipswich all season — the standard of those teams — for us not to buckle under that pressure when nobody fancied us, it can’t be spoken of any higher.
“It’s an unbelievable achievement. I’m not bothered about budgets and all that, it doesn’t matter if we had the same money as them, it’s still an unbelievable achievement and we’re all amazingly proud.”
Like Schumacher, Blues fans won’t care how much money has been spent to do it, but perhaps even more sweet for them is the chance to set a new record for points in League One.
That is held by local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers. In 2013/14, they picked up 103 points, but Birmingham are currently projected 109 based on their current PPG rate.
Birmingham City will be aiming to emulate Ipswich Town’s double promotion success
Although promotion is the main aim for Blues this season, and they are firmly on course to do that, with the side sitting 12 points clear of second place already, they could and should be excited for so much more to come under an ambitious ownership group.
Tom Brady and Tom Wagner have an important summer ahead. Next year will be a bigger test of their obvious ambitions as the Championship is such a tricky league to compete in.
They are likely to be ambitious again this summer, with planning regarding recruitment likely to be well underway. But they have built a team that already looks like they could avoid relegation or any concerns over going back down in 2026.
Blues will be eyeing a push to that next step swiftly, and not just eyeing Championship survival, with Ipswich’s recent blueprint under Kieran McKenna likely to be the aim to emulate and compete right at the very top of the Championship and the financial gain it brings.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Diff | Points |
| 1 | Leicester City | 46 | 31 | 4 | 11 | 89 | 41 | 48 | 97 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 28 | 12 | 6 | 92 | 57 | 35 | 96 |
| 3 | Leeds United | 46 | 27 | 9 | 10 | 81 | 43 | 38 | 90 |
| 4 | Southampton | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 87 | 63 | 24 | 87 |
Such is their dominance and confidence, Blues can have high expectations to not just make up the numbers next term. The size and stature of the club, combined with the resources to kick on, is a major recipe for success.
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