Knew It Would Push Me – Birmingham City Star Admits Motivation Behind Move | OneFootball

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Birmingham City goalkeeper James Beadle has revealed he was drawn to Blues by a competitive goalkeeping department that would push him to earn playing time.

In July, the former Sheffield Wednesday star signed a season-long loan deal with League One champions Birmingham, joining from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Birmingham, since their promotion, have put in strong performances under manager Chris Davies in the Championship and currently sit eighth in the table with 28 points.

Beadle began the season playing second fiddle to Ryan Allsop, featuring only in the Blues’ EFL Cup fixtures against Sheffield United and Port Vale.

He earned his place in the starting lineup at the beginning of October, making his league debut against Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground in a match that ended 1–1.

Since then, the 21-year-old has started every game in goal for Blues, showing that he has earned the confidence of both the Welsh tactician and his team-mates.

The England Under-21 international had options in the summer, but revealed he was drawn to the club by the direction they are heading in and the opportunities they offered, adding that he was particularly eager to join a team with a strong goalkeeping department that would push him to earn playing time.

He admitted that the early months out of the Birmingham side were challenging but emphasised the importance of supporting his team-mate, Allsop, while continuing to train hard in the hopes of earning playing time under manager Davies.

Beadle told Birmingham City’s official site: “The way the club is going, the direction it is going in, I just wanted to be a part of.

“I felt like it would be a great experience for me and something I was really intrigued by. And I knew they had a good goalkeeping department here and that it would really push me if I wanted to get games.

“The first few months when I was out of the side were tough, but it was what it was.

“I just had to do my best in training and bide my time really, and that is another thing you have to learn to be able to do as a goalkeeper, you have to be able to play that backup role sometimes, and it was my job to support Ryan.

“But at the end of the day, I had to train as hard as I could and try to push the manager into giving me a game.”

In the ten matches Beadle has started, he has kept three clean sheets and will be eager to sustain this form throughout the demanding Championship season as Birmingham press on in their quest for promotion to the Premier League.

Blues face a pair of challenging away fixtures, travelling to St. Mary’s to face Southampton on Saturday before meeting Queens Park Rangers next Tuesday at Loftus Road, where Davies is expected to once again rely on Beadle to marshal the goal.