Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit heaps praise on Birmingham City ownership for “different” St Andrew’s atmosphere | OneFootball

Don Goodman spoke to FLW about his experience inside St Andrew’s for the 2025-26 Championship opener.

Don Goodman has revealed the atmosphere at St Andrew’s for Birmingham City’s clash with Ipswich Town felt “different” compared to his previous visits as both a player and pundit.

The West Midlands was a raucous place to be last Friday evening when the 2025-26 Championship season got underway, and the match had its fair share of drama and contentious calls.

Blues thought they had the lead in the first half when Kyogo Furuhashi’s delightfully chipped effort was ruled out for a foul on Jacob Greaves, although replays showed the ex-Hull City defender was fortunate to receive that decision.

Chris Davies’ men would end up taking the lead early into the second half though, as another Furuhashi lob struck off the far post and allowed Jay Stansfield to rifle home the rebound for his first goal of the campaign.

But despite being the better side for the majority of the game, Birmingham succumbed to late heartbreak, with Lyndon Dykes alleged to have handled the ball following a deep corner, handing Ipswich a chance to level up proceedings from 12 yards out.

George Hirst took that opportunity with aplomb, calmly slotting his spot-kick away to ensure the points were shared on the opening night.

After a pulsating affair on matchday one, Don Goodman has spoken to FLW about how the atmosphere was inside St Andrew’s for Birmingham’s Championship homecoming.

Don Goodman praises Tom Wagner for St Andrew’s atmosphere revamp

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Goodman, a former player-turned pundit, heaped praise on the Birmingham City ownership for transforming the atmosphere inside St Andrew’s, admitting it felt “different” to the previous times he’s visited as a player and commentator.

Goodman said: “I’ve got to be honest, I've been going to St Andrew’s for a long, long time, both as a player and as a pundit, and it just felt different.

"The excitement that was in the air pre-game; I think the crowd were in a lot earlier than I've seen them in there before.

"The noise levels were up, they were right behind their team and the team delivered for them.

“I think the owners deserve a lot of credit for what they've done with that stadium. They've spent a lot of money, and they've made it a really good stadium.

“It's literally only 18 months ago when some of the bottom tier of some stands were closed, and it did impact the atmosphere, but no such problems this season.

"It's going to be a tough place for opponents to go.”

St Andrew’s will have to be a fortress for Birmingham City this season

If Birmingham City are to have any success this campaign, then they have to start it with solid home form, and that can only be generated by a noisy and passionate fanbase.

The Blues fans showed that in abundance for their clash against Ipswich Town, and it worked really well, as the opposition looked disjointed and intimidated by such a boisterous crowd.

Whether that kind of atmosphere will continue on a Tuesday night in December remains to be seen, but with everyone on board and the club going in a positive direction, the home of Birmingham City is as joyous as it's ever been, and that positivity can go a long way to delivering results on the pitch.

Birmingham started positively at home by gaining a point against a team favoured to clinch immediate promotion back to the Premier League, and those atmosphere levels could be the difference to securing more scalps over the season.