2019–20 Birmingham City F.C. season


The 2019–20 season was Birmingham City Football Club's 117th season in the English football league system and ninth consecutive season in the second-tier Championship. The team finished 20th in the Championship, having avoided relegation on the final day of the season despite losing their own match, after other results went in their favour and Wigan Athletic suffered a 12-point deduction for entering administration. As with all English Football League clubs, the first team also competed in the FA Cup and EFL Cup. They reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, in which they lost 1–0 away to Premier League club Leicester City, and were eliminated in the first round of the EFL Cup, a match in which a inexperienced Birmingham team lost 3–0 away to Portsmouth of League One.
On 13 March 2020, as an initial response to the coronavirus pandemic, professional football in England was suspended until 3 April at the earliest. The Championship resumed behind closed doors on 20 June.
Pep Clotet confirmed on 8 June that he would leave the club at the end of the season, but after a series of poor results, he left by mutual consent on 8 July with four matches of the season remaining.
The season covered the period from 1 July 2019 to the end of the 2019–20 Championship season.

Background

The home kit consists of a royal blue shirt with navy sleeves, white stripes on the shoulders and yellow trim at the collar and cuffs, white shorts with blue stripes down the side seams, and navy socks with white trim at the turnover. The away kit is charcoal, with white stripes on the shoulders, the side seams of the shorts, and the sock turnovers. However, after October the charcoal away kit was retired and the club imminently brought back 2018–19 yellow and blue kit as the replacement away kit from then onwards. The kits are supplied by Adidas and bear the logo of the club's new principal sponsor, Irish bookmaker BoyleSports.

Pre-season

EFL Championship

August–September

's first competitive match as Birmingham City's head coach was away to Brentford on 3 August 2019. The team lined up in a 3–4–2–1 formation with Lee Camp in goal, Kristian Pedersen, Marc Roberts and newly appointed captain Harlee Dean in central defence, Maxime Colin and debutant Steve Seddon at wing back/wide midfielder, David Davis alongside Gary Gardner in central midfield, and Jacques Maghoma and new arrival Dan Crowley supporting centre forward Lukas Jutkiewicz. According to Sky Sports, "Blues were saved by a combination of the woodworkwhich Brentford hit three times before the breakand keeper Lee Camp", and the only goal was scored by Pedersen, whose header from Seddon's cross "looped powerfully and perfectly" over the goalkeeper from outside the penalty area.
Defensive midfielder Ivan Šunjić made a first start and attacking midfielder Fran Villalba made a lively debut at home to Bristol City. Both sides missed chances before Jutkiewicz scored with a powerful header from Roberts' chipped cross. Late in the game, the defence was caught out of position for the visitors' equaliserlast man Wes Harding apologised afterwards for his part in the proceedings. At Nottingham Forest, an unchanged starting eleven suffered Birmingham's first league defeat since March. After a bright start, they were unable to prevent Joe Lolley reacting quickly to a 15th-minute free kick and running through to score; the same player's run and cross set up Lewis Grabban's header seven minutes later, and Michael Dawson's second-half header completed a 3–0 win. Three days later, Birmingham made amends at home to Barnsley. Harding replaced the injured Colin, Seddon returned to the team, and Álvaro Giménez started alongside Jutkiewicz up front. After a low-key and defensively sound first hour, Jutkiewicz converted Harding's cross, Giménez chested down Seddon's through ball and lobbed the goalkeeper, and loanee winger Jefferson Montero made a lively 10-minute cameo on his debut.
In the televised lunchtime visit to Swansea City, still goalless after an hour despite the hosts' domination, Birmingham conceded three in 12 second-half minutes. Montero, who was contractually unavailable to face his parent club, made his full debut at home to Stoke City; he lasted only half an hour before injury forced his replacement by Jude Bellingham, who had made his first Football League appearance as a late substitute at Swansea. A penalty should have been awarded when Danny Batth hauled Giménez back, forced him to the floor and kicked him in the face, and shortly after Dan Crowley replaced the ineffective Villalba, Stoke opened the scoring. Birmingham livened up, Jutkewicz outjumped Tommy Smith at the far post to equalise, and three minutes later, Bellingham's shot crept into the net via a generous deflection to win the match and make him Birmingham's youngest ever goalscorer at 16 years and 93 days.
September began with the visit to Charlton Athletic unbeaten at home for nearly a year and managed by Birmingham's 2011 League Cup-winner Lee Bowyer. Bellingham scored the only goal of the game after a pinpoint pass from Kerim Mrabti. Towards the end, Bowyer's reaction to a time-wasting incident involving the coaching staff saw him sent off and Birmingham's bench receive a yellow card. An unchanged starting eleven struggled at home to Preston North End, who won the match with a first-half free kick that Camp pushed onto the post from which Sean Maguire tapped in the rebound. Derby County hosted Birmingham just days after two Derby players were charged with drink-driving following a car crash that left their captain badly injured. Derby took a two-goal lead, but within minutes Birmingham had equalised with goals from Gardner and Šunjić, the latter a "rasping rising 20-year shot which flew into the net" and won him the Championship Goal of the Month award. Former Birmingham loanee Krystian Bielik fouled Giménez for a penalty, Jutkiewicz missed it, and Derby secured the win with 15 minutes left.

October–November

Loanee Jake Clarke-Salter made his first league appearance for Birmingham, in place of the injured Roberts away to newly promoted Wigan Athletic. Neither side looked like scoring until Camp let a shot from distance go underneath his body. At home to Middlesbrough, Birmingham had most of the play, but the only goal was Villalba's first for the club from the edge of the area. Both Gardner and Pedersen hit the woodwork, and former Birmingham goalkeeper Darren Randolph made what BBC Sport's reporter dubbed a "string of sublime saves", before, with three minutes of normal time remaining, a defensive error led to an equaliser. Two minutes later, the 19-year-old academy product Odin Bailey headed home Crowley's cross to confirm a first win after three consecutive defeats. Birmingham were the visitors as Leeds United celebrated their centenary: they were defensively sound until Colin allowed Jack Harrison to outpace him and cross for Kalvin Phillips to score. Incidents after the match both inside and outside the ground were described by a police spokesman as "the worst trouble we have seen at Elland Road for over a decade." At home to Blackburn Rovers, Colin headed home Crowley's cross for the only goal after half an hour; Birmingham again failed to convert chances but were able to hold on to their lead. October ended with a third consecutive home win, by two goals to one against Luton Town, that took Birmingham to 11th in the table, one point outside the play-off places; the goals both came from headers, Pedersen's on the stroke of half-time and Jutkiewicz from a corner after 82 minutes.
Birmingham went through November without a win. Away to Cardiff City, Pedersen gave them an early lead but they failed to convert their first-half superiority into goals, Dean conceded a penalty for shirt-pulling which according to BBC Sport reporter "was tough to spot", and the momentum changed. At 2–1, Cardiff had a player sent off, but they then increased their lead on the break, Dean was sent off in stoppage time, and the match ended 4–2. At home to Fulham, claims that Roberts had been fouled were to no avail when Camp dropped a cross at the feet of Aleksandar Mitrović. Backup goalkeeper Connal Trueman made his first appearance of the season and Jérémie Bela his first start in a better team performance at Huddersfield Town, in which Birmingham came back from a goal behind when Roberts' header was deflected in off Jutkiewicz's shoulder. Ahead of the visit to Garry Monk's new club, Sheffield Wednesday, the former Birmingham manager claimed he had made an "error of judgment" in working with Clotet, suggested he was untrustworthy, and refused the customary pre-match handshake. Starting instead of Jutkiewicz, Giménez opened the scoring from Bela's cross, but Wednesday equalised with ten minutes left. BBC Sport thought Birmingham "twice unlucky not to be awarded spot-kicks" as Millwall failed to retain a lead thanks to a combination of Clarke-Salter's header and Trueman's performance in goal.

Match results

General source: Match content not verifiable from these sources is referenced individually.
DateLeague
position		OpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A		ScorersAttendanceRefs
3 August 20198thBrentfordAW1–0Pedersen 18'11,332
10 August 20198thBristol CityHD1–1Jutkiewicz 64'21,808
17 August 201915thNottingham ForestAL0–327,281
20 August 20198thBarnsleyHW2–0Jutkiewicz 69', Giménez 77'20,061
25 August 201915thSwansea CityAL0–317,277
31 August 20199thStoke CityHW2–1Jutkiewicz 73', Bellingham 76'20,652
14 September 20198thCharlton AthleticAW1–0Bellingham 52'18,752
21 September 201911thPreston North EndHL0–120,806
28 September 201913thDerby CountyAL2–3G. Gardner 56', Šunjić 59'28,454
1 October 201914thWigan AthleticAL0–19,244
4 October 201912thMiddlesbroughHW2–1Villalba 33', Bailey 89'19,703
19 October 201912thLeeds UnitedAL0–135,731
22 October 201911thBlackburn RoversHW1–0Colin 31'18,561
26 October 201911thLuton TownHW2–1Pedersen 45+3', Jutkiewicz 82'21,799
2 November 201912thCardiff CityAL2–4Pedersen 3', Šunjić 89'23,778
9 November 201913thFulhamHL0–121,334
23 November 201914thHuddersfield TownAD1–1Jutkiewicz 78'22,573
27 November 201915thSheffield WednesdayAD1–1Giménez 48'22,059
30 November 201915thMillwallHD1–1Clarke-Salter 79'19,715
7 December 201913thReadingAW3–2Morrison 41' o.g., Bela 59', Giménez 88'14,103
11 December 201915thQueens Park RangersHL0–218,161
14 December 201915thWest Bromwich AlbionHL2–3Jutkiewicz 3', Dean 47'20,796
21 December 201915thHull CityAL0–311,334
26 December 201916thBlackburn RoversAD1–1Mrabti 63' pen.15,887
29 December 201917thLeeds UnitedHL4–5Bellingham 27', Jutkiewicz 61', 90+1', Bela 83'22,059
1 January 202018thWigan AthleticHL2–3Mrabti 39', Maghoma 81'18,616
11 January 202018thLuton TownAW2–1Jutkiewicz 4', G. Gardner 69'10,062
18 January 202018thCardiff CityHD1–1Bellingham 4'20,482
21 January 202018thMiddlesbroughAD1–1Jutkiewicz 27'18,350
1 February 202017thNottingham ForestHW2–1Hogan 42', Pedersen 74'20,837
7 February 202014thBristol CityAW3–1Hogan 23', Weimann 30' o.g., Jutkiewicz 90+2'22,065
11 February 202014thBarnsleyAW1–0Hogan 76'12,788
15 February 202014thBrentfordHD1–1Jutkiewicz 13'20,379
22 February 202014thSheffield WednesdayHD3–3Murphy 6', Jutkiewicz 30', Hogan 90+1'22,120
26 February 202014thMillwallAD0–011,209
29 February 202015thQueens Park RangersAD2–2Hogan 24', 81'14,113
7 March 202016thReadingHL1–3Hogan 6'19,525
20 June 202016thWest Bromwich AlbionAD0–00
27 June 202016thHull CityHD3–3G. Gardner 47', 88', Crowley 60'0
1 July 202017thHuddersfield TownHL0–30
4 July 202017thFulhamAL0–10
8 July 202017thSwansea CityHL1–3Jutkiewicz 5'0
12 July 202018thStoke CityAL0–20
15 July 202019thCharlton AthleticHD1–1Jutkiewicz 90+3'0
18 July 202020thPreston North EndAL0–20
22 July 202020thDerby CountyHL1–3Šunjić 56'0

League table (part)

Result summary

FA Cup

As with all teams in the top two division, Birmingham entered the FA Cup in the third round. They were drawn to play at home to Championship club Blackburn Rovers. Clotet made seven changes from the previous league match, with Camp, Clarke-Salter, Davis, Maghoma, Crowley, Montero and Giménez replacing Trueman, Jutkiewicz, Bellingham, Bela, McEachran, Mrabti and Šunjić in the starting eleven. Crowley gave Birmingham an early lead with an individual effort, but Blackburn came back into the match and, afer an hour, Šunjić came on for Gary Gardner to solidify the defence. Within two minutes, he fouled Sam Gallagher for a penalty and was sent off. Birmingham were obliged to use their last substitute when Harding came on for the tiring Clarke-Salter, and were in danger of being overrun when Maghoma's run played in Bela whose 90th-minute shot was diverted low into the far corner to give his team a 2–1 win.
In the fourth round, Birmingham were drawn away to the winners of a replay between League One clubs Bristol Rovers and Coventry City. Coventry, who were without their own ground for the 2019–20 season and had entered into a ground-sharing agreement with Birmingham, won the replay, so Birmingham faced the prospect of using the away dressing-room and with their supporters in the away end, while their tenants benefited from the home team's facilities.
RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A		ScorersAttendanceRefs
Third round4 January 2020Blackburn RoversHW2–1Crowley 4', Bela 90'7,330
Fourth round25 January 2020Coventry CityAD0–021,193
Fourth round replay4 February 2020Coventry CityHD2–2 Dean 90+2', Bela 120'11,680
Fifth round4 March 2020Leicester CityAL0–127,181

EFL Cup

Birmingham were drawn to play away to League One club Portsmouth in the first round. Clotet chose to make nine changes from the team that started the opening league match, and the resulting eleven included four debutants: Jake Clarke-Salter and Geraldo Bajrami in defence, and Agus Medina and Jude Bellingham in midfield. All but five of the matchday squad had come through Birmingham's youth system. Bellingham became Birmingham City's youngest ever first-team player at the age of, beating the record of 16 years 139 days set by Trevor Francis in 1970. After a lively start, Portsmouth's strength and experience brough two first-half goals, and the third followed soon after half-time. Another two academy products, midfielders Odin Bailey and Caolan Boyd-Munce, made their debuts in the second half.
RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A		ScorersAttendanceRefs
First round6 August 2019PortsmouthAL0–39,913

Transfers

In

Loans in

Out

Loans out

Appearances and goals

No.Pos.Nat.Name
29DFJonathan Grounds
51MFKyle Hurst