Birmingham promoted after May and Gardner-Hickman seal win at Peterborough

Birmingham City are back where they have often belonged, though sights are set far higher than the Championship. To the Premier League and beyond is the mission, no longer being the second city’s second wheel.

Chris Davies, a rookie manager – though someone football insiders will point to as a significant power behind the thrones of Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou – could celebrate promotion at first time of asking.

“This club has suffered a lot,” he said. “It’s about creating memories, bringing fans joy and making them proud of their club.”

Birmingham’s aptitude for the task of returning to the Championship has been apparent since early season and spending £25m on 17 new players. A record League One points total remains possible, too. Now for Wembley, the Vertu Trophy final on Sunday, again against Peterborough, the chance to complete a lower league double. After that, controls are set for the heart of the sun.

“We signed good characters,” Davies said. “I think for too long this club had players that weren’t the right character. Whether we win, lose or draw, you’ll always see this lot fighting. That’s what the fans ultimately want for their club.”

Echoes of 30 years ago, of Paul Tait’s Autowindscreens Shields Trophy winner with an estimated 50,000 City fans at Wembley, Barry Fry was Blues manager. Fry – the ever ebullient, archetypal wheeler-dealer – is, at 80, still Peterborough’s director of football. The club he joined from the Blues in 1996 will defend the Vertu Trophy at Wembley, where they have never lost. His former club’s fans gave him a rousing reception during a pre‑match promenade.

View image in fullscreen Birmingham City players celebrate promotion after their hard-fought win at Peterborough. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA

With Wembley in mind, Davies – the antithesis of last season’s disastrous dalliance with Wayne Rooney – had rested Jay Stansfield, whose August signing for £15m from Fulham sent shockwaves across the EFL, as well as Marco Silva, who had made plans for the striker. At London Road there appeared to be no appetite for a pre-Wembley détente; instead, an open contest, both teams looking to attack.

Krystian Bielik, the Blues captain, thrashed an effort wide with the entire goal to aim at but soon enough, in the 20th minute, Alfie May headed in Taylor Gardner-Hickman’s cross to begin the party in the away end.

View image in fullscreen Birmingham fans in full voice after securing promotion to the Championship. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA

The travelling fans’ noise didn’t abate when Kwame Poku thrashed in an equaliser. That increased Birmingham’s concentration on the task in hand, as Tomoki Iwata and Marc Leonard gained control of midfield. Eventually, after a patient buildup, Gardner-Hickman from the left fired in a shot to which Nicholas Bilokapic could only get a hand.

Tom Wagner, the venture capitalist majority City owner, was not present, and neither had the minority owner and chairman of the advisory board Tom Brady travelled to Cambridgeshire. Presumably both, and special guests, will be at Wembley. Davies said: “What I do know is that we’ve got great owners that are extremely ambitious, but also very supportive and understand the challenges of the landscape of English football.”

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While Birmingham fans enjoyed a long spell of unbroken second-half passing with “olé” chants, Posh were not quite ready to sit up and save it for Sunday. News of a goal from third-placed Wycombe solidified the requirement of victory.

With 15 minutes left, Stansfield replaced May, Davies seeking the cutting edge his team’s dominance had not produced. All the noise came from the west Midlands contingent attempting to kill their own nerves through song.

There was defending to do, too, Ryan Allsop making a save from Sam Hughes’s header. Another substitute, Keshi Anderson, looked set to seal it but fired wide, leaving five minutes to play in which the veteran Grant Hanley came on to add defensive numbers.

Eventually, gratefully, Birmingham reached their finish line, and the players could run to 3,379 away fans for a lengthy celebration ritual, including fizz-fuelled photo call.

“These young men have had a lot of expectation and pressure,” Davies said, while the party raged on inside the dressing room. “In there they’re loving it.” The belief at Birmingham is that promotion, and Wembley, will be just the start.

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