1 week Ago By [email protected] (Brian Dick, Alex Dicken, Peter Smith)
Birmingham City are at Wembley for the first time in 14 years, as they take on Peterborough United in the final of the Vertu Trophy. Just five days on from sealing League One promotion at the Weston Homes Stadium , Chris Davies’ team face the same opponents as they strive for a league and cup double. Nearly 50,000 Blues fans are expected at the match, which kicks-off at 3pm and which sees the existing holders take on a team that won the competition when they were last in it in 1995.
Barry Fry was the Blues manager that day but this afternoon he’ll have both feet firmly in the Posh camp as their long-standing director of football. His successor, Davies has done an outstanding job in his first season as a manager and while he has been lavishly backed by the club’s owners, his team have barely missed a beat. Picking that team will be a difficult task given Blues’ squad depth but whoever gets the nod will be looking to emulate the likes of John Gayle and Paul Tait as previous Wembley match-winners.
We’ll have our writing team of Brian Dick and Alex Dicken at Wembley bringing you all the build-up, action and reaction from what will – hopefully – be a silver-lined day. Brian Dick Halfway there Blues have been crowned League One champions without kicking another ball after nearest challengers Wrexham dropped points. The Red Dragons’ 0-0 draw with Wigan Athletic means Blues cannot be caught at the top of the table they now lead by 13 points.
In the week in which they secured an immediate return to the Championship with a victory at Peterborough United on Tuesday night, their place atop the division was confirmed with six games remaining. Wrexham have four to play, but can only amass 94 points – Blues already have 95. However, Wycombe’s 1-0 win at home to Stevenage has cut their gap to second position to just a point.
While the race for the second automatic promotion place could go to the very last match, Blues can now relax knowing they have now completed one half of a league and cup double. Read more HERE Share Comments Brian Dick Living legend As soon as Scott Oldham gave one last blast of his whistle to confirm Birmingham City’ s place in the 2025 Vertu Trophy final, one name came to mind. Not Lyndon Dykes, whose powerful header proved to be the difference between Blues and brave Bradford City on that night.
Not Jay Stansfield who was stretchered from the field having looked to have suffered a potentially serious leg injury. And not even Ryan Allsop, the play-making goalkeeper who supports Birmingham City but whose rolled ankle seemed to jeorpardise his place at Wembley. Instead minds were instantly transported back three decades, to the Auto Windscreens Shield final, Barry Fry, the 1995 league and cup double, that T-Shirt and Paul Tait , the man who wore it.
Among Blues fans Tait is known and loved as one of their own, a heart-on-the-sleeve, die-for-the-cause Bluenose who not only fulfilled all their dreams by scoring a Wembley winner – but celebrated it in the way they would all want to. By sending a message across the city. Read more HERE Share Comments Brian Dick Team news Chris Davies reported no new injuries to his Birmingham City squad on Thursday afternoon as the club prepares for its first Wembley outing in 14 years.
Blues visit the capital on Sunday to take on Peterborough United in the Vertu Trophy final five days after defeating Posh to secure promotion back to the Championship. Davies has confirmed namesake and influential defender Ben Davies is fit to play at Wembley after being omitted from the squad at the Weston Homes Stadium in midweek. “Ben Davies was rested,” says Chris Davies.
But Emil Hansson has lost his battle to play in the final. The Swedish winger has missed Blues’ last three games after pulling up with an injury in training. Hansson, 26, has now endured three separate spells on the sidelines this season and could return for the remaining League One games.
Read more HERE Share Comments 14:25 Brian Dick One job done Birmingham City sealed their return to the Championship with a 2-1 win over Peterborough United on Tuesday night. The final whistle at the Weston Homes Stadium, sounded to a chorus of Keep Right On, sparked joyous scenes in the 4,000-strong away end after Blues’ promotion was confirmed with six games to spare. Alfie May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman struck either side of Kwame Poku’s goal for Peterborough in the first half before rock solid Blues shut up shop to seal their return to the second tier at the first attempt.
Read more HERE Share Comments Brian Dick Story lines Most of football wanted a Blues vs Wrexham final, for all the Tom Brady vs Ryan Reynolds spin-off stories that would have brought. However, anyone who knows anything about Birmingham City is alive to the narratives around a Blues vs Posh showpiece - dubbed the Barry Fry-nal. Obviously Fry was Blues' boss the last time they won - indeed were in - this competition back in 1995.
You can read all about that HERE Share Comments Brian Dick Hello And welcome to BirminghamLive's coverage of today's Vertu Trophy final between Blues and Peterborough. We'll be bringing you all the build-up from Wembley both inside and outside the stadium, the team news, matfch action, reaction and hopefully the odd celebration or two as Blues look to add the EFL Trophy to what has already been a successful week. We've got Alex Dicken and Brian Dick on the ground at Wembley - stay tuned and you won't miss a thing.
Birmingham City manager Chris Davies celebrates promotion Share Comments.
