Jay Stansfield drops honest view on Birmingham City's season - 'history' claim made | OneFootball

Jay Stansfield believed there were positives for Birmingham City to take from their 2025/26 campaign, even though they failed to reach the play-offs.

Birmingham City had a mixed season on their return to the Championship, as they failed to make it back-to-back promotions.

Whilst you would never expect a newly-promoted side to challenge for promotion, the situation at Blues was different due to the ambition of the owners, who put serious money into the club.

So, there was disappointment that Chris Davies’ side didn’t finish in the top six, but that doesn’t mean their campaign was a failure, and it’s clear they are a club heading in the right direction.

Jay Stansfield reflects on Birmingham City’s 2025/26 season

Jay Stansfield has been a key figure in Blues’ journey over the past few years, with the forward starring as they broke the EFL points record to win the League One title.

The 23-year-old remains an important player for Davies, and he made another big contribution over the season, scoring ten league goals, which made him joint-top scorer at St. Andrew’s along with Marvin Ducksch.

Stansfield’s performances also saw him named as Young Player of the Year, and when asked about how the season played out, the attacker admitted to the club’s media that they didn’t fully live up to expectations, even if he was pleased to help Birmingham to their highest finish since 2011/12.

“It has been good (the season). There was a lot of ambition going into the season, and we didn’t quite achieve that ambition, but overall we’ve had a good season back in the Championship, and it’s a platform to build on now.

“Yeah buzzing (to be part of the highest finish in 15 years). We made history last year, big history, and this year there is a little bit more history to add to that, so hopefully we can add even more. It’s amazing to be part of.”

Birmingham and Jay Stansfield will expect to be pushing for promotion next season

There’s no denying that Blues’ season was slightly underwhelming, as the level of investment that went into the club meant they did feel promotion was a possibility.

But, it’s not like it has been a disastrous year, and there have been many positives to take, with their home form particularly encouraging.

As Stansfield says, they have still made history by recording their highest finish in 15 years, and they are moving forward as a club.

Now, it’s about trying to take that next step, and given the quality of Blues’ squad, combined with the wealth of the owners, mean that a top eight finish will be the minimum expectation going into next season.

Once again, Stansfield will be pivotal if Birmingham are to achieve their objective, and he will have learnt a lot from another tough year in the Championship.

Like Blues, Stansfield will have ambitions of reaching the Premier League, and now the focus will be on the transfer window, with Birmingham going into it knowing they need a few tweaks as opposed to a major overhaul.

So, it will be interesting to see what business they get done, and Blues are likely to be among the biggest spenders once again as they try to give Davies the squad that is capable of winning promotion.