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Birmingham City are set to return to the Championship imminently, with their time in League One looking as though it will be extremely short and sweet following their disappointing relegation.
Despite taking his first steps into management in the Second City, the pressure was immediately on the Chris Davies to assemble a squad capable of delivering a first-time promotion but also one which could potentially compete immediately in the second tier.
| Position | Team | Played | W | D | L | For | Against | GD | Points |
| 1 | Birmingham City | 37 | 26 | 8 | 3 | 63 | 25 | 38 | 86 |
| 2 | Wrexham | 39 | 23 | 8 | 8 | 54 | 30 | 24 | 77 |
| 3 | Wycombe Wanderers | 38 | 21 | 11 | 6 | 65 | 36 | 29 | 74 |
| 4 | Charlton Athletic | 39 | 20 | 9 | 10 | 53 | 35 | 18 | 69 |
| 5 | Stockport County | 39 | 19 | 11 | 9 | 55 | 36 | 19 | 68 |
| 6 | Reading | 38 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 55 | 47 | 8 | 62 |
Birmingham are breaking recent League One records, with some records annihilated on their way to wrapping up the title in the near future. That’s because they are currently 12 points clear of third-placed Wycombe Wanderers.
Although, they still face a gruelling fixture list during the final month of the campaign, with 10 matches in all competitions still to play between now and the final day clash with Cambridge United on May 3rd.
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Alfie May should be given a chance over Jay Stansfield in attack
Irrespective of what happens from here, the last nine months have represented a shift in terms of atmosphere and optimism despite suffering relegation from the Championship at the end of 2023/24. That’s mainly due to the investment pumped into the squad and infrastructure around the club.
Tom Brady’s investment looks set to continue in 2025, as we exclusively revealed their summer plans recently. They can already look to next season as it looks like a formality regarding their pending promotion status from the third tier.
That said, Davies isn’t allowing any hints of complacency to creep into his squad, who have suffered just three defeats in the league this season. He knows victory over Bristol Rovers could make promotion all-but-secured.
Despite a 4-1 victory on Saturday, it is a quick turnaround for Blues on Tuesday night. It should mean at least one or two players are rotated. Davies has done an incredible job with the squad he has helped build, and should break further records in the coming weeks.
In a league still littered with big names, Birmingham have stood out among the rest. It could be a historic campaign through a league and cup double via the EFL Trophy in 2025 as well.
However, he and Blues will want to have things wrapped up quickly to look ahead to next season, and that means assessing every part of his squad as often as possible in the meantime. That includes the deepest pockets of their squad, younger players, and other fringe players.
In terms of attacking depth, League One may never have seen better. It’s hard to believe that Jay Stansfield — the £12 million man (per Birmingham Live) — could have blanked for the last five fixtures. Without a single goal or assist to his name in that time, should he be rested for a game or two?
We think so, with vital games still to come. Birmingham can afford to let some of their stars recharge, with Stansfield looking below par and perhaps jaded for a spell now. Alfie May came off the bench and notched twice against Shrewsbury, and he deserves a chance.
Rotation is an important factor in a 46-game slog of a league season. Davies should rest Stansfield or call upon him from the bench if needed in tonight’s clash, especially as there will be tougher tests to come than a trip to the Memorial Stadium.
Chris Davies’ recent Alfie May admission
Speaking via Birmingham Live on Saturday, Davies explained the situation with May. The 40-year-old said: “I genuinely haven’t worried about him scoring goals.
“Even when he hasn’t scored goals, he’s had chances to score goals. It’s the old adage that it’s about getting the chances. “Alfie gives a lot. That’s why I put him as captain when [Christoph] Klarer came off because he gives a lot of leadership skills around the training ground.
“For him to get two goals and he could have even got a hat-trick at the end, I think that will give him a lot of confidence. He has had chances in games that have been narrowly missed. For strikers, it’s about scoring goals, that’s the bottom line.”
“There’s more goals there for him. The Wycombe game stands out for me, there was a chance there, but he’ll always get goals. He’s a very good finisher. He has had a bit of a drier patch recently but I know he’ll be desperate to add to it and ready to take his chance when it comes.”
Although promotion is the main aim for Blues this season, and they are firmly on course to do that, with the side sitting eight points clear of third place, they could and should be excited for so much more to come — but getting over the line is the aim for now, and May can help achieve that tonight.
Then, Birmingham can focus on looking to establish themselves in the second tier next term by consolidating their position before eventually solidifying themselves as a mainstay and looking to punch up the league fairly swiftly, but getting out of League One is the sole aim right now.