The 2013–14 season was Birmingham City Football Clubs 111th season in the English football league system and third consecutive season in the Football League Championship. It ran from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014.
Birmingham finished 21st in the Championship. On the final day of the season, they needed at least a point away at Bolton Wanderers, and for other results to favour them, to avoid relegation to League One. After falling two goals behind, goals from Nikola Žigić after 78 minutes and Paul Caddis three minutes into stoppage time, combined with Doncaster Rovers' defeat, secured their second-tier status for a further season. In the League Cup, Birmingham lost to Premier League team Stoke City in the fourth round after a penalty shootout. They were eliminated by Swansea City, also of the Premier League, in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Forty-one players made at least one appearance in first-team competition, of whom twelve were loan signings and a further three signed on short-term contracts; there were twenty different goalscorers. Chris Burke appeared in 49 of the 52 matches over the season; Darren Randolph played every minute of the 46 Championship matches. Loanee Federico Macheda was top league goalscorer, with 10 goals from only 18 appearances, while Lee Novak scored 11 goals in all competitions.
Background and pre-season
When previous manager Chris Hughton resigned in 2012 to join Norwich City, he was reported to have "freely admitted privately that he felt it would be difficult to replicate what happened last season this season, and that things at Blues would get worse before they got better."Tattum, Colin (25 April 2013). "Analysis: A very different St Andrew's season". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 August 2013. Club president and major shareholder Carson Yeung's assets remained frozenTattum, Colin (26 June 2013). "Interview: Lee Clark reveals why he could not keep Curtis Davies at Birmingham City". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 August 2013. and trading in the holding company's shares remained suspended, which combined with an income stream seriously reduced since relegation from the Premier League left new manager Lee Clark working for a club needing to generate cashflow by selling players. Birmingham finished 12th in the 2012–13 Football League Championship, their lowest finish since 1995–96."Birmingham City: History 1975 to date" . Statto Organisation. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
Senior players Jonathan Spector, Wade Elliott, Colin Doyle and Paul Robinson signed contract extensions to remain with the club, and the club took up their option of another year on Chris Burke's contract,"Championship: Birmingham extend Chris Burke's contract by 12 months". Sky Sports. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013. but club captain Stephen Carr retired, and Steven Caldwell, Pablo Ibáñez, Morgaro Gomis, Keith Fahey and Adam Rooney were released.Tattum, Colin (7 May 2013). "Blues release four senior players but five are offered new deals". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 August 2013. Robinson took over the captaincy. Curtis Davies and Nathan Redmond were sold to Premier League clubs for initial fees totalling something over £4.2 million, and high earners Marlon King, Peter Løvenkrands, Hayden Mullins and Darren Ambrose were told they were free to leave if they could find another club,Tattum, Colin (24 May 2013). "Marlon King, Peter Lovenkrands, Darren Ambrose and Hayden Mullins to be shown the door by Blues". Birmingham Mail Retrieved 21 August 2013. though as in previous transfer windows, there were no takers for Nikola Žigić, who had one year left on his contract.
Clark was able to attract several out-of-contract signings: Ireland international goalkeeper Darren Randolph from Motherwell, Scottish Player of the Year-shortlisted Andrew Shinnie, an attacking midfielder from Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Blackpool right-back Neal Eardley, young midfielder Tom Adeyemi from Norwich City, forward Lee Novak, who had worked with Clark at Huddersfield Town, and Conference top scorer Matt Green from Mansfield Town. Clark also utilised the loan market, bringing in young centre-backs Kyle Bartley from Swansea City and Fulham's Dan Burn, attacking midfielder Scott Allan from West Bromwich Albion, and Newcastle United wing-back Shane Ferguson, who had spent time on loan at Birmingham in 2012–13.
The home kit consisted of a royal blue shirt with broad white front panel in a "penguin" style, with white shorts and royal blue socks. The away strip had a yellow shirt with navy trim and navy shorts and socks. Adult shirts bore the logo of Nicolites, a Birmingham-based manufacturer of electronic cigarettes, while junior shirts carried the logo of Help Harry Help Others, a local cancer charity. The kit was produced by Diadora."Sky Bet Championship 2013–2014". Historical Football Kits. Dave Moor. Retrieved 21 August 2013.Tattum, Colin (23 July 2013). "Blues reveal new away kit". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 August 2013. The club decided it would not be viable to open the upper tier of the Gil Merrick Stand at St Andrew's for the 2013–14 season."Season tickets". Birmingham City F.C. 15 May 2013. Archived from the original on 14 June 2013.
+ Pre-season match detailsDateOpponentsVenueResultScoreF–AScorersAttendanceRefs6 July 2013Alfreton TownAW3–1Lee 20', Westwood 32' o.g., Shinnie 47'793Walker, Andy (6 July 2013). "Alfreton Town 1 Blues 3" . Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 6 July 2013.8 July 2013Shamrock RoversAW4–0Novak 18', Žigić 36', Reilly 44', Green 60'1,500 (est)Egan, Seamus (8 July 2013). "Shamrock Rovers 0–4 Birmingham City" . Extratime.ie. Retrieved 22 July 2013.10 July 2013Milton Keynes DonsAL1–4Arthur 34'*Walker, Andy (10 July 2013). "Blues 1 MK Dons 4" . Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 10 July 2013.17 July 2013Swindon TownAW3–0Novak (2) 40', 58', Shinnie 86'1,433Walker, Andy (17 July 2013). "Swindon Town 0 Blues 3" . Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 17 July 2013.20 July 2013Oxford UnitedAD1–1McGurk (trialist) 43'2,394Walker, Andy (20 July 2013). "Oxford United 1 Blues 1" . Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 20 July 2013.23 July 2013Shrewsbury TownAL2–4Green 46', Burke 70'2,037Walker, Andy (23 July 2013). "Shrewsbury Town 4 Blues 2" . Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 24 July 2013.27 July 2013Hull CityHW2–1Green 12', Shinnie 47'5,252Lewis, Peter (27 July 2013). "Blues 2 Hull City 1" . Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
Match played behind closed doors
Football League Championship
August–September The opening-day fixture, at home to last season's playoff finalists Watford, was preceded by a minute's silence in memory of Christian Benítez, who died at the age of 27 on 29 July in a Qatar hospital of cardiorespiratory failure caused by a degenerative defect in a coronary artery."Autopsia confirma que el 'Chucho' tenía problemas en el corazón" [Autopsy confirms that 'Chucho' had heart problems] (in Spanish). El Comercio (Quito). 2 August 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013. "Chucho" played in the 2009–10 Birmingham team that produced a club record 15-match unbeaten run and finished ninth in the Premier League – their best finish for more than 50 years – and was a member of the starting eleven that was selected unchanged for a Premier League record 12 consecutive matches.Tyler, Martin (12 January 2010). "The cold rush". Sky Sports. Retrieved 12 August 2013.Tattum, Colin (1 August 2013). "Remembering Christian Benitez". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
Birmingham lined up against Watford in a 3–5–2 formation, with six debutant free-transfer signings, three loanees (a fourth, Scott Allan, came on as a second-half substitute), and two 34-year-olds. Nikola Žigić was unavailable through injury. The difference between the teams lay in their finishing. Matt Green missed with only the goalkeeper to beat, Wade Elliott's powerful shot from distance was deflected onto the crossbar, and Dan Burn might have scored twice late on. Troy Deeney played a one-two with Fernando Forestieri and scored the only goal of the game with a low shot into the far corner after 11 minutes. For Birmingham's 2000th match in the second tier of English football, and Yeovil Town's first home game at that level, Hayden Mullins replaced Kyle Bartley in the starting eleven, playing at centre-half rather than his customary central midfield. The only goal of the game came just after half-time; Shane Ferguson's corner kick caused chaos as Byron Webster's attempted clearance rebounded off Danny Seaborne for an own goal. The goal was originally credited to Burn, who had scored the winner for Yeovil in the 2013 playoff final. Darren Randolph made a double save in the first half, and turned Webster's powerful header onto the bar with his leg in the second.
Clark selected midfielder Allan instead of Green for the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion, who had lost their three games so far, so there was no recognised striker alongside the hard-working Lee Novak. After a goalless first half, first Andy Shinnie and then Novak hit the crossbar with shots from distance. Randolph kept out a powerful shot from former Birmingham loanee Kemy Agustien, then the same player fed Andrew Crofts to score the only goal of the game; Clark was disappointed by his team's failure to close the move down. Marlon King's contract was terminated by mutual consent ahead of the transfer window closing. Peter Løvenkrands, who had also been made available on a free transfer and had played no previous part on a matchday, partnered Novak in attack as, for the first time this season, Clark set the team up in a 4–4–2 formation. With Paul Robinson at left back, Bartley at centre back, and a first league start of the season for Chris Burke, Birmingham conceded after half an hour to Ipswich Town's Christophe Berra's header, and Randolph made several saves before Burke's deflected shot saved a point. Neal Eardley left the field soon after the opening goal with an apparently serious knee injury.
Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp thought that Birmingham were the better side in the first half.Hinchcliffe, Andy (25 September 2013). "FL72 Review". Sky Sports. Retrieved 20 September 2013. Novak headed against a goalpost, the unmarked Shinnie shot over an open goal when played in by Novak, Jonathan Spector's neat finish was disallowed for offside, and the same player was booked for diving when apparently tripped in the penalty area by Richard Dunne. Birmingham lost 1–0 when Tom Adeyemi's sliced clearance rebounded off the underside of the crossbar to Charlie Austin. Play was interrupted by a blue smoke bomb thrown from the visitors' end. Without suspended captain Paul Robinson, Birmingham lost 3–0 at Burnley, a poor performance enlivened by the debut of 17-year-old Academy midfielder Reece Brown.
David Murphy made his return from ten months out with a knee problem in the home match with fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday, for whom former Birmingham centre-half Roger Johnson was making his first appearance. A more spectacular debut was that of Manchester United loanee Jesse Lingard. Going straight into Birmingham's starting eleven wearing number 9, Lingard scored his first senior goal after 20 minutes when goalkeeper Chris Kirkland parried Burke's shot, completed his hat-trick 13 minutes later, and scored a fourth in the second half. Reality resumed away at Reading, where Callum Reilly made his first start of the season, and Birmingham lost to two Danny Guthrie free kicks.
October–November