BBC NEWS; Barnsley’s Corey O’Keeffe takes aim at Birmingham City.

Barnsley winger Corey O’Keeffe has speculated that his previous side Birmingham City may think they have already won the League One championship this season.

However, the childhood Blues supporter is still hopeful that his current squad can defy expectations and succeed in the remaining campaign.

O’Keeffe joined Birmingham as a young player and made one professional appearance before leaving the club in 2020.

Last summer, the wing-back joined Barnsley, who want to fight the Blues for promotion to the Championship in the coming months.

Blues made a solid start to life in League One.

Following their relegation to League One at the conclusion of last season, Birmingham have demonstrated a strong desire to return to England’s second flight.

During the summer transfer window, St Andrew’s recruited 17 new players to its first-team roster.

Jay Stansfield, who had been on loan from Fulham previous season, signed a permanent contract for a League One record cost of up to £20 million.

They’ve also had a solid start on the pitch under new manager Chris Davies, with 16 points from six games, bringing them level with league leaders Wrexham with a game in hand.

Indeed, the Blues are the only unbeaten team remaining in the division, and O’Keeffe feels this may have given his previous club the impression that the work was done this season.

His own club is presently third in the standings, having gained 13 points from seven league games since appointing Darrell Clarke as manager in the summer.

The Barnsley manager was cited by The Yorkshire Post as stating, “I think they (Birmingham) think they have won the league already, we’ll see what happens!” on a possible promotion fight with Birmingham. There is a lot of noise.

“It is a competitive league with several great clubs this year, and it will be difficult. But I believe we will have enough when it clicks. We’ve already showed evidence that we can work well together.

“It’s still a new ‘gaffer’ so early in the season. When we click, everything will be OK.”

Barnsley hosts Stockport County at Oakwell on Saturday night, while Birmingham plays Peterborough United at St Andrew’s earlier that day.

Birmingham cannot afford to become complacent.

You can see why many affiliated with the Blues will be optimistic about their chances of promotion this season.

At St Andrews, they appear to have assembled an exceptionally powerful group, which is already being supported by on-field success.

Birmingham appears to be well-positioned for an instant return to the Championship.

However, considering how rapidly things may change as injuries and bans accumulate over such a lengthy season, things are far from over.

Indeed, given their current status, they are likely to be a target for other teams this season, making life tough for them in matches.

Of course, clubs like Barnsley have the capacity at this level to punish them while also capitalizing on any mistakes.

With that in mind, it appears like Birmingham must maintain their concentration for the remainder of the season if they are to ensure their return to the Championship, which most anticipate them to do.

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