The last club to secure promotion from League One to the Premier League in successive seasons were ill-prepared for their sudden rise to the summit of English football; it was merely a happy accident of an excellent managerial feat. So it is no surprise that Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich are back in the Championship at the first opportunity.
Should Birmingham emulate their opponents from this opening fixture they have no intentions of following the same path. Every bold statement to emerge from the club over this summer makes it abundantly clear that this period in the second tier is expected to be brief. Sights have been set high and, on the basis of this performance against opposition that took points off Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa last season, it is easy to see why.
There is, if not a swagger, then a resolute belief in the way Birmingham’s players go about their business. That they did not begin their campaign with a win should do little to deter from the dominance they showed for the vast majority of this encounter. When Jay Stansfield smashed home from close range 10 minutes into the second half it was just rewards for their performance.
Alas, a harsh decision for handball against the substitute Lyndon Dykes gave George Hirst the opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot in injury time. He did not waste it. Honours even, but it did not feel that way.
