BIRMINGHAM, England — Birmingham City don secure their return to Championship after dem win 2-1 against Peterborough United on Saturday night at Weston Homes Stadium, with six matches to spare for the season.
Alfie May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman gbe first half goals for Blues, while Kwame Poku equalised briefly for Posh. Dis victory mean say Birmingham don gain promotion back at the first attempt, after dem relegation last season.
Birmingham, wey dey currently top League One with 95 points, 14 points ahead of Wrexham for second place. Dis campaign, under new manager Chris Davies, don see di team lead di table for most of di season.
Fans wey travel come support dem were in jubilant mood as May head dem in front from Gardner-Hickman’s cross just three minutes into di match. However, Poku quickly equalised for Peterborough, making it 1-1 just three minutes later.
But Gardner-Hickman restored di lead for Birmingham eight minutes before halftime after he gathered Marc Leonard’s pass and released a shot under goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic, securing di winner.
After suffering through recent seasons, di American owners of Birmingham had made it their goal to return to Championship and dem don achieve dat aim dis season. Tom Wagner and Knighthead Capital acquired major stake for di club, including NFL star Tom Brady as minority owner. But di controversial decision to sack popular manager John Eustace and replace am with Wayne Rooney didn’t sit well at first.
Despite initial setbacks, dis season don see big spending as Birmingham invested around £25 million on players, including a record £10 million on striker Jay Stansfield and seven-figure fees for Emil Hansson and Lyndon Dykes. Dis ambition for promotion has paid off, with Birmingham sitting on top of di league.
“A special night, it means di world to see di fans celebrate,” Davies tell BBC Radio WM after di match. He continue, “We don work hard to create memories and pride for di fans, and I believe say we don achieve dat this season.”
Blues go face Peterborough again on Sunday April 13, as dem look to clinch di EFL Trophy at Wembley. Dis trophy be di first part of what fans hope na double for di season after dem return back to di second tier.
Stansfield sit as joint top scorer for di league, while goalkeeper Ryan Allsop don keep 21 clean sheets dis season. Birmingham don show say dem no fit compete efficiently, scoring di highest goals and conceding di least in di league.
After a celebratory atmosphere among di fans, Birmingham City don finally make their mark, and for now, dem dey ready to enjoy dis moment of success.
