Alfie May reacts to big Ryan Allsop moment at Birmingham City | OneFootball

The Blues keeper hit a landmark milestone in the club's most-recent outing

Former Birmingham City striker Alfie May has been among those to react as goalkeeper Ryan Allsop hit the landmark 50-appearance milestone for his boyhood club.

The experienced shot-stopper grew up in and around the Second City and was Chris Davies' first signing at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park following the club's relegation to League One in the summer of 2024, moving to the club he confesses to have supported as a youngster following a one-season stint with Hull City.

In the subsequent 15 months in this part of the West Midlands, Blues have undergone a major transformation courtesy of the continued financial backing of Knighthead Capital Management, fronted by owner Tom Wagner and the club's well-documented minority stakeholder, Tom Brady.

Allsop's experience between the sticks has been a welcome presence to those at St. Andrew's after a previous revolving door of goalkeepers, although the 33-year-old has been able to fend off competition from Bailey Peacock-Farrell and one of the club's many recruits this summer, James Beadle - who joined on a season-long loan deal from Premier League side, Brighton and Hove Albion following a lengthy temporary stint with Sheffield Wednesday.

The pressure for success in such a short period of time has seen some of the keeper's teammates from the club's record-breaking season of 2024/25 move on, although it is clear the affection which the likes of May have for the boyhood Bluenose, as he achieved the feat in Saturday's narrow defeat to Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium.

Alfie May among those to react as Ryan Allsop hits landmark Birmingham City milestone

Allsop had previously enjoyed spells at the likes of Cardiff City, Derby County, Wycombe Wanderers and Leyton Orient before he eventually found himself returning to his native city, with Blues moving for his services after he became the subject of a controversial dispute between Acun Ilicali and Liam Rosenior which led to the latter's dismissal at Hull in May 2024.

Despite boasting over 150 second-tier appearances over his lengthy career after progressing through the ranks at West Bromwich Albion, Allsop was initially viewed as second-choice for Blues following his transfer, although he marked his competitive debut with a penalty save in the EFL Cup against Charlton Athletic.

He was then handed a league debut for Birmingham in their 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town 11 months ago, during which the aforementioned May scored the winner against his future employers, before featuring in all but one of the remaining league encounters as his side coasted to an all-time EFL points haul of 111.

Allsop was only breached 24 times in all competitions last season, and kept 20 clean sheets in the third-tier as Blues returned to the Championship at the first time of asking, and he has since featured in all five league games so far this season, keeping a solitary clean sheet against Oxford United last month.

Saturday's frustrating defeat in the Potteries would have been a bittersweet encounter for the experienced figure though, as his 50th appearance ended in defeat through Bosun Lawal's looping first-half header.

Regardless, the fine achievement was still marked by Blues' official social media platforms, with May, who netted 16 times in 44 league appearances before moving to the Accu Stadium in a £1.2m deal back in July, among those to react on Instagram, with his story featuring three heart-filled eye emojis to celebrate his former teammate's milestone.

The post was also liked by current and ex-teammates such as Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Seung-Ho Paik, new club captain Christoph Klarer, Tommy Doyle, Tomoki Iwata and Dion Sanderson.

Ryan Allsop will hope to continue making history with Birmingham City

Allsop penned a three-year contract at the time of his move, meaning there will be one season left on said deal by the conclusion of the current season.

Instantly, he cited the club's ambitions, as well as his pre-established connections, as the main reason to make the transfer switch, and he will feel even more pride as a result to have been a part of a record-breaking squad in English football as a whole, never mind in B9.

As well as his shot-stopping ability, Allsop has provided plenty of exciting moments through his distribution skills, and they could still make a huge difference between now and the end of the season as Birmingham look to make an immediate mark on the second-tier despite a slightly inconsistent start.