It has been a miserable season for Birmingham City.
Relegated from English football’s top two tiers for only the third time in their history – and for the first time in 30 years.
Six different managers picking the team, one disastrously ill-conceived appointment by ambitious new owners – and a daily ongoing social media debate as to where it all went wrong.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel.
And not just in terms of the amount of money that co-owners Tom Wagner and Tom Brady propose to invest in the club over the next five years to try to make Blues a global force in the game.
The lifeblood of any good club is the strength of its youth section – and the Blues youngsters have done themselves proud.
This weekend the club that, not so long ago, produced Jude Bellingham – and before that Trevor Francis – have two teams through to the Professional Development League National Finals, at both under-21 and under-18 level, a first for the second-city club.
Steve Spooner’s under-21s will face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Friday night before Martyn Olorenshaw’s under-18s host Charlton Athletic at Ray Hall Lane – the Birmingham County Football Association headquarters in Great Barr – the following lunchtime.
