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It would take something pretty special for Birmingham City’s title celebrations to be spoiled this season, with the Blues racing out in front at the top of League One.
After relegation from the Championship last season, Birmingham City were always expected to have a great chance of returning at the first time of asking.
The truth is, with the financial backing of Tom Brady and the astute management of Chris Davies, the Blues have absolutely dominated League One.
Birmingham have already broken records this season, and they are still nine points clear at the top, with a game in hand, despite losing in midweek.
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Birmingham City will be back in the Premier League soon
With a return to the second tier looking inevitable now, and strong foundations in place, many have speculated as to what the future holds for a club of Birmingham’s stature.
Speaking to Football League World, Aston Villa legend Lee Hendrie has made an interesting claim, suggesting the Blues will be back in the top flight soon enough, and that actually, Villa fans are desperate for their rivals to return.
He said: “I think as an ex-Aston Villa player, it’s great to see when the local clubs are doing well including Birmingham. They’ve had to take a bit of a step back by falling out of the Championship into League One. I think they’ve had to re-establish themselves, which they have done.
“Chris Davies has gone in there and revitalised the style of play. They’ve invested heavily in League One, and as you can see, they’ve been so dominant and they’re having a fantastic season up to now.
“On the progression of going up the Premier League in the next five years, there’s a big possibility. I think they’re certainly steering the ship in the right direction, and I mean that’s what all Villa fans want to see, Birmingham in the Premier League, so we can play them.”
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Birmingham City | 33 | 23 | 7 | 3 | 33 | 76 |
| 2 | Wycombe Wanderers | 34 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 28 | 67 |
| 3 | Wrexham | 34 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 21 | 65 |
| 4 | Stockport County | 35 | 17 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 61 |
| 5 | Charlton Athletic | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 59 |
| 6 | Huddersfield Town | 35 | 17 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 58 |
There’s no doubt that having the huge Midlands derby back in the big time would be a brilliant spectacle for all fans, whether invested in the two clubs or not.
Both Birmingham and Wrexham have the means to go all the way
With the amount of investment Brady and co. have pumped into Birmingham so far — such as the £15m signing of Jay Stansfield for a start — there’s every reason to expect the club can just keep on racing through the Football League.
Acclimatising to the Championship again will naturally be difficult, but we’ve seen clubs with far smaller resources come up from League One and go straight up to the Premier League the following season. Ipswich Town proved it’s possible, so Birmingham will fancy their chances.
The same goes for Wrexham, who have the financial might of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney behind them. It remains to be seen whether the Red Dragons will follow Birmingham into the Championship this season, and it’s possible Phil Parkinson’s side will have to make do with a play-off spot this year.
But, whether they get promoted or not, there’s no reason why Wrexham can’t enjoy a similar trajectory over the coming years to their League One rivals. Indeed, within the next few seasons, we could well see both Birmingham and Wrexham battling it out in the top flight.