Exclusive: Lee Hendrie issues Birmingham City, League One points record prediction amid "biggest club" claim | OneFootball

Blues could surpass Wolves' 103-point tally with a strong end to the season

Former footballer and current EFL pundit Lee Hendrie believes that Birmingham City should be able to break Wolverhampton Wanderers' 103-point League One record this season due to the clear gulf in class between them and the rest of the third-tier.

Blues' unstoppable third-tier campaign has been well-documented, particularly over the last few months, as they edge ever closer to a title-winning season that has looked all too easy, at times, for Chris Davies and his players.

They currently sit top of League One with 83 points, 12 ahead of second-placed Wrexham with a game in hand and just 10 matches of the campaign left. The club has made real strides off the pitch too this season, thanks to increased investment from owner and chairman Tom Wagner.

Davies' side's promotion looks all but sealed at this stage, and although they may not want to admit it publicly, the potential to break Wolves' third-tier record will certainly be an aim if they continue to pick up points as the season nears its conclusion.

The Molineux outfit accrued 103 points in the 2013/14 campaign under Kenny Jackett, so Blues need 21 more from the 30 available to them to surpass that figure and set a new record tally.

Lee Hendrie issues Birmingham City League One points record prediction

Birmingham have lost just one of their previous 22 League One outings, but their mission to break Wolves' record was somewhat dented by a 1-1 draw at Northampton Town on Saturday afternoon.

Chris Davies' squad has been depleted by numerous injury issues to key men in recent weeks, with the likes of Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Ethan Laird joining Lee Buchanan, Lyndon Dykes and Scott Wright on the treatment table. They will need all of their important players to stay fit if they wish to keep winning and getting closer to that 103-point mark.

Ex-Aston Villa player and current Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie thinks Blues should be able to outdo Wolves' achievement in the coming months, and believes Davies could use the full extent of his squad depth to do so.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Hendrie said: “I think Birmingham certainly can break that Wolves record that was set in League One, 103 points.

“The way that they’ve been this season, and the squad that they have, I think that they certainly should do.

“At times they’ve not played pretty, but they’ve shown that they can win games. They’ve proved it this season.

“They’ve been relentless. They are the biggest club in League One and they’ve proved that with the way they’ve gone about their business.

“I do think that they can (break Wolves’ record), if that’s their goal. Obviously promotion is their target.

“You do feel that if they take their foot off the gas, there might be opportunities for other players to come into the team. They’ve got a big squad of players.

“You do still feel that they can kick on and certainly beat that record that Wolves achieved.”

Wolves' League One points record is in Birmingham's sights

Blues' points-per-game so far in the third-tier is 2.31 after 36 games, which means that, if they continue picking up points at the same pace that they have done up to now, they should accrue 23 more in the next 10 games and beat Wolves' record by three, with 106 points.

It will likely not be as simple as that, however, with the gruelling League One season beginning to take its toll, even for the best of teams like Blues.

They have not been quite as dominant in recent weeks compared to earlier in the campaign, with a 3-1 loss against Bolton Wanderers and two wins by a one-goal margin against Lincoln City and Stevenage, followed up by that recent draw at Northampton in their last five games.

Even then, their current tally compared to Wolves' at the same stage of 2013/14 does make good reading for those hoping to become record-breakers at St. Andrews. Kenny Jackett's men had six fewer points than Davies' side currently do after 36 games, with 77, but they then went on to win eight of their last 10 games of the campaign.

With that said, Birmingham will have to do something relatively similar in order to surpass the golden 103. They hypothetically need to win seven of their final ten outings to break the record, although six wins and three draws would also do it, and is also potentially more likely given their recent exploits at Sixfields.