Blues News: still out in front

Despite being without Jay Stansfield, Birmingham City picked up another four points from two games this past week.

Last Saturday was a rather tedious 0-0 draw with Reading. The selection to replace Stansfield was not Alfie May as predicted but Lyndon Dykes. That result did absolutely no damage to the standings though as Wycombe Wanderers played to the same score with Wigan Athletic. Then on Tuesday the Blues went for blood against Leyton Orient. Orient didn’t exactly help themselves as left back Jack Currie was ejected after just 12 minutes a for a rough challenge on Tomoki Iwata. City proceeded to outshoot Orient 28-3 and 10-0 on target, ending with a 2-0 win courtesy of Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Ethan Laird. For this one May did start at striker, Lyndon Dykes having incurred a calf injury against Reading.

That left the Blues with a 9-point lead and still holding a game in hand over Wycombe. That’s important as this Saturday’s game is the top of the table clash (6:30am, Paramount+/CBS Sports). That’s going to be a monumental scrap. Get up early for this one. The Blues will be without several players: Stansfield and Dykes will be joined by winger Scott Wright who was also hurt in the Reading game and is now out for the season, as is left back Lee Buchanan. Striker Keshi Anderson is thought to be probable this weekend after a hamstring pull and midfielder Marc Leonard has been out since the Newcastle FA Cup game with a knee injury. Everyone else is clearly going to have to step up big time.

Wednesday the club also learned who they will face in the final of the EFL trophy. The much-ballyhooed Hollywood final is not to be, however. Wrexham looked good in the early going, taking a first half 2-0 lead over Peterborough United. In the second half they imploded. Goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo gave up a very dumb penalty. He saved Malik Mothersille’s 72nd-minute spot kick, only to let him score on the rebound. Then Peterborough poured it on, finally getting an equalizer a minute into stoppage time and sending the game to a shootout. Peterborough ended up winning that 4-2, although Peterborough keeper Jed Steer was probably off his line for the two stops he made against Paul Mullin and Elliot Lee. United’s one miss was Mothersille again, as it happens.

Peterborough are the defending champions, so will not be an easy out despite being 20th in League One and hovering dangerously above the relegation playoff spots. The final will be played Sunday April 13th at Wembley.

The Blues are also flirting with history this season. Their 73 points from 31 games in league play puts them at 2.35 points per game. If they maintain that over the remaining 15 games the team will finish with 108 points. That would break the previous EFL modern-era record of 106 set by Reading in 2006 in the Championship. Reading lost just 2 games all season; the Blues have already matched that total. Reading also scored a staggering 99 goals and gave up just 32, which the Blues are very unlikely to match. That points total is definitely within reach, although the recent spate of injuries could make that rather harder than it might otherwise be.