The final day of the Championship season has arrived and, as ever, Birmingham City’s second tier status is on the line.
Blues host Norwich City at St Andrew’s knowing a victory is needed to give themselves any chance of avoiding relegation to League One. Blues require a victory and a result elsewhere to go in their favour.
Plymouth (21st) host Hull City, while Sheffield Wednesday (20th) travel to Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers are away to Leicester City. Plymouth need a win, while a point apiece for Wednesday and Blackburn will be enough for safety.
Blues will be backed by a sold-out St Andrew’s against Norwich. The Canaries are all but assured of a play-off place and, for all their good results at Carrow Road this season, they haven’t fared well on the road. Norwich have only won six of their away matches.
Alex Dicken is at St Andrew’s to bring you live updates and analysis for the final time this season. Keep Right On.
It's all over - Blues are relegated
Despite beating Norwich 1-0 on the final day, Blues are relegated to League One after Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn all recorded final day wins. Blues will play in the third tier for the first time in 29 years.
Check out our report and ratings HERE
Stansfield leaves the scene
Jay Stansfield is replaced by Alex Pritchard for the last five minutes. Big round of applause for Stansfield who will probably clean up the end-of-season awards. 13 goals for him in all competitions this season.
George Hall has also come on for Koji Miyoshi.
Two changes
Two changes for Blues: Bacuna and Jutkiewicz on for Anderson and Paik. 23 minutes to play here...
This could be Lukas Jutkiewicz's final appearance at St Andrew's. The popular striker's contract expires at the end of the season.
Blackburn lead at Leicester
The Championship's top scorer Sammie Szmodics has scored for Blackburn Rovers at Leicester City. Blackburn are beating the Champions 1-0.
All three teams above Blues are now leading. As things stand, Blues are going down.
Paik gives Blues the lead!
Paik Seung-ho has put Blues ahead with his first goal for the club.
Anderson's shot is deflected and Paik guides it in brilliantly with his head. Big, big goal. Blues are doing their bit as things stand.
They now just need a bit of help from elsewhere...
Back underway
The game has restarted at St Andrew's. It's important to note that Blues are slightly behind the other Championship games because of that first half stoppage.
Jordan James takes on all comers from kick-off and reaches the Norwich box but his cross goes out for a throw-in.
It's just been confirmed that 27,680 are inside St Andrew's today.
HT: Blues 0-0 Norwich
Blues have been the better side and created a few good openings but that doesn't matter at this point. There needs to be a swing in the second half.
Miyoshi appealed for a penalty right at the end of the half but it was never going to be given. The contact was nowhere near enough between McCallum and Miyoshi.
Bielik goes close
Bielik has almost thighed one in. Brilliant cross from Miyoshi but Bielik couldn't get enough on it to beat Gunn.
There will be five minutes of additional time at the end of this first half for that stoppage.
Scores elsewhere
None of it matters unless Blues manage to beat Norwich but goals are coming in elsewhere in the battle at the bottom.
Plymouth are leading Hull 1-0. Sheffield Wednesday are 2-0 up at Sheffield Wednesday. Blackburn still 0-0 at Leicester.
Paik has to do better
Big chance for Paik to make it 1-0. Stansfield squared it from the right and Paik fluffed his shot from the centre of the goal. Fantastic challenge and pass by Bielik to start the attack.
Norwich have just gone straight up the other end and worked Ruddy for the first time. Nunez advanced into the box unchallenged and shot low but Ruddy saved it.
Back underway
There's still a medical presence in that corner of the ground but the game has resumed. A bit like at Rotherham a couple of weeks ago, we can expect a large chunk of additional time at the end of this first half.
By my reckoning, it should be between five and 10 minutes for that particular stoppage.
The game has stopped
It looks as though a supporter has been taken ill in the lower corner of the Kop. There is a lot of concern from the suipporters situated in that area and now there is a large group of medics present. Hopefully the fan is OK.
Both teams are back on the field but the game has temporarily stopped.
Good start
Miyoshi has just worked Gunn for the first time. James, Buchanan and Laird have all won big early challenges. Blues have started well.
Paik is playing in the number 10 position behind Stansfield, as expected, with James in midfield alongside Sunjic.
What a reception
Gary Rowett said on Thursday that 'the given' is that the fans will turn up today and they certainly have. The noise inside St Andrew's is ridiculous - I can barely hear myself think.
The players have just beeen welcomed onto the pitch by the most raucous atmosphere St Andrew's has witnessed this season.
Norwich have won the toss and turned Blues around. Blues will kick towards the Tilton in the first half, not the second.
Atmosphere building
The stadium announcer has just confirmed that in excess of 27,500 people will be inside St Andrew's today to cheer Blues on. A good number of them have already made their way inside.
The volume has been ramped up in the last five minutes or so ahead of the players completing their warm ups. Let's hope the players respond.
D-Day
Former Blues captain Troy Deeney is working as a pundit for Sky Sports this afternoon.
He was asked about the impact of a potential relegation - and gave his verdict on the first campaign under Tom Wagner and Garry Cook's guidance.
"It'd be huge, but taking my Birmingham allegiances off for a minute, they've flirted with this for about four or five years.
"This is the only year you'd go ‘We hope they can stay up because they've got the financial backing to go and improve’. Hopefully we have learnt lessons from all of the mistakes earlier on in the year.
"But it's it's difficult, you can't keep flirting and staying up on the last day two or three different times, you've got to kick on and they will assess that. They made loads of mistakes this year and hopefully be in a position to move forward,"
Leicester go strong
Blues could do with a bit of help from the champions as they take on John Eustace's Blackburn.
The good news is they have gone strong as strong can be.
Mads Hermansen, James Justin, Hamza Choudhury and Stephy Mavididi all come back into the side as Leicester look to reach 100 points.
Jamie Vardy and Abdul Fatawu - who were brilliant at Deepdale - retain their places.
Nothing against Eustace - but here's hoping for a big, big home win.
Norwich only make one change
David Wagner hasn't rung the changes like he did when he was Huddersfield Town boss in 2017.
Norwich's XI only includes one change from last weekend. Jacob Sorensen replaces Christian Fassnacht.
Wagner has started all of their big hitters. Gabriel Sara and Josh Sargent - who have 43 league goal contributions between them this term - both start at St Andrew's.
(4-2-3-1): Gunn; Stacey, Duffy, Gibson, McCallum; Nunez, McLean; Sorensen, Sara, Sainz; Sargent
Blues team news
Gary Rowett has made one change to his Birmingham City XI for today’s do-or-die match with Norwich. Jordan James comes in for Juninho Bacuna in the only change from last weekend’s draw with Huddersfield.
James is expected to partner Ivan Sunjic at the base of Blues’ midfield, with Paik Seung-ho in a more advanced position. Lukas Jutkiewicz is held in reserve on the bench.
(4-2-3-1): Ruddy; Laird, Bielik, Sanderson, Buchanan; Sunjic, James; Miyoshi, Paik, Anderson; Stansfield
Subs: Etheridge, Drameh, M Roberts, Bacuna, Hall, Pritchard, Dembele, T Roberts, Jutkiewicz
Blues are banking on B9 sell-out
Blues are banking on their full house today. Blues have fared very well at St Andrew's this season when the stadium has been full.
Wins over Preston and Coventry came in front of a full house in B9. Rowett knows how important the fans will be.
“When the place is rocking and full – I think this will be the third full house in four home games – it makes a huge difference. Every club and manager will say the same about their own fans but at St Andrew’s it makes such a huge difference.
“I think that’s the given this weekend. The given is the atmosphere is going to be electric, the given is the fans are going to be there spurring the players on. What we have got to make sure is the team feeds off that and gets the maximum we need from the performance. You can have a plan for all eventualities but one thing we know with a game like this is you are going to have to react pretty quickly within the game, as a player and a manager.”
Ruddy's programme notes
John Ruddy has written the captain’s column in the programme for the first and possibly final time of his Blues career. Ruddy has taken over from Dion Sanderson as captain in the past few weeks.
The experienced goalkeeper has given a very frank assessment of Blues’ season. He has also predicted that Blues will be in the Premier League within five years, irrespective of what happens today.
Ruddy said: “At the risk of stating the obvious, this has been a season of more downs than ups. On the pitch, we have failed to deliver consistent performances to prevent the situation we find ourselves in today.
“Off the pitch, there have been many changes, some enforced and some self-inflicted, this does not excuse the fact that we as a group of players needed to take care of our jobs better.
“The new owners have come in and revealed the exciting plans and projects to improve the club and the wider community over the coming years and I for one believe this club will be playing Premier League football within five years, regardless of today’s outcome, such is the determination, ambition, and affection that Mr Wagner and the ownership have for not only the football club but Birmingham as a city.”
Good morning
A warm welcome to our coverage from St Andrew's on the final day of the 2023/24 Championship campaign.
It's set to be a nervy day down at the bottom of the Championship. Blues require a victory over Norwich City and a result elsewhere to go in their favour in order to avoid relegation to League One.
Cars are already lining the streets around St Andrew's with people cramming into pubs in preparation for the game.
Norwich (h)
— Alex Dicken (@alexedicken) May 4, 2024
The calm before the storm. #BCFC #KRO pic.twitter.com/5eMw1W5AS9
What the bookies are saying
Betway spokesman, Chad Yeomans, said, “Play-off chasing Norwich travel to St Andrew's as the slight underdogs at 13/8 knowing that their top six place will be secured if they can avoid defeat on Saturday. Birmingham head into this one as the favourites at 11/8 knowing they simply must win and even then, will need other results to fall in their favour.
“Birmingham City and Norwich City both have decent attacking quality, and neither will be shy in trying to play in the final third of the pitch as they both need the points. As such, Both Teams to Score & Over 2.5 Goals at 1/1 is one of the most common multiples we are seeing for this game.
“Blues fans hoping for another season in the Championship can back Jay Stansfield as the saviour at 5/1 to score first or 9/1 to score 2 or more!”
