# 2006–07 Birmingham City F.C. season

The 2006–07 season was Birmingham City Football Club's 104th consecutive season played in the English football league system, their 46th in the second tier of English football, and their first season at that level under the name of the Football League Championship. Managed by Steve Bruce, Birmingham were promoted back to the Premier League after just one season in the Championship. They reached the fourth round of both the 2006–07 FA Cup and League Cup. The 2006–07 season also marked the 100th anniversary of the first match held at their St Andrew's stadium.
Gary McSheffrey was top scorer with 16 goals, of which 13 were scored in the league.

## Pre-season
### Pre-season friendlies

| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers |
| 8 July 2006 | Burton Albion | A | W | 5–1 | Campbell (4) 6' 86' 88' 90', Jerome 48' |
| 22 July 2006 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | L | 0–2 | |
| 29 July 2006 | AS Nancy | H | D | 1–1 | Forssell |

## Season review

Birmingham returned straight back to the Premier League by finishing second in The Championship thereby gaining automatic promotion. The team had started the season inconsistently leaving them in ninth position after the 0–1 defeat to Norwich City on 17 November. This led to supporters calling for the sacking of manager Steve Bruce, but the board held firm and the team pulled themselves around. The year finished with Birmingham topping the table by nine points after dropping only seven points in 15 games since the defeat against Norwich.
Boxing Day saw the centenary of the opening of St Andrew's. Queens Park Rangers were the team to visit on the historic day, and Birmingham marked the occasion by defeating their rivals 2–1. Many fans also hoped that the 'curse of the gypsies' would finally be dispelled from the stadium, and at last the team could make their mark on English football.
The FA Cup saw Birmingham overturn Newcastle United away from home that was undoubtedly the result of the season. Goals from Gary McSheffrey, Bruno Ngotty, Sebastian Larsson, DJ Campbell, and an own goal by former Aston Villa midfielder Nolberto Solano gave Birmingham a 5–1 victory at St James' Park. Blues went on to lose in the next round to Reading.
Birmingham once again returned to some inconsistent form, but a run of good results after the Easter games against Burnley and Barnsley saw them climb back to the top of the table with one game to go, and after Crystal Palace beat Derby County, promotion was secured. The only thing left to be sorted out was who would win the league, Birmingham or Sunderland? Blues had a one-point lead, but after a defeat to Preston North End and a victory for Sunderland, Blues were confined to finishing second. But promotion back to the big time was secured.
The end of season awards ceremony, held at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, saw Stephen Clemence win the player of the season and players' player of the season awards. Fabrice Muamba was chosen young player of the season, and Krystian Pearce was the Academy player of the season. Sebastian Larsson's goal against Sheffield Wednesday on 28 April was chosen goal of the season, and the breakthrough award, sponsored by the local radio station, went to goalkeeper Colin Doyle, whose penalty save against Wolverhampton Wanderers in April earned him the "magic moment" award. The season ended with the club recording the most league wins (26) in a season.

## The Championship
### Match details

| Date | League position | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 5 August 2006 | 4th | Colchester United | H | W | 2–1 | Campbell 30', Bendtner 79' | 24,238 |
| 9 August 2006 | 4th | Sunderland | A | W | 1–0 | Forssell 40' pen. | 26,668 |
| 12 August 2006 | 4th | Stoke City | A | D | 0–0 | | 12,347 |
| 19 August 2006 | 1st | Crystal Palace | H | W | 2–1 | Bendtner 23', Larsson 90' | 20,223 |
| 26 August 2006 | 4th | Cardiff City | A | L | 0–2 | | 20,109 |
| 9 September 2006 | 2nd | Hull City | H | W | 2–1 | Campbell 16', Bendtner 53' | 19,228 |
| 12 September 2006 | 1st | Queens Park Rangers | A | W | 2–0 | Ngotty 23', Jerome 90' | 10,936 |
| 16 September 2006 | 2nd | Ipswich Town | H | D | 2–2 | Campbell 74', Dunn 86' | 20,841 |
| 23 September 2006 | 2nd | Leeds United | A | L | 2–3 | Warner 13' o.g., Bendtner 74' | 18,898 |
| 30 September 2006 | 2nd | Leicester City | H | D | 1–1 | McSheffrey 58' | 18,002 |
| 14 October 2006 | 6th | Luton Town | A | L | 2–3 | Campbell 14' Danns 66' | 9,275 |
| 17 October 2006 | 9th | Norwich City | H | L | 0–1 | | 20,537 |
| 21 October 2006 | 8th | Derby County | A | W | 1–0 | Clemence 84' | 25,673 |
| 28 October 2006 | 6th | West Bromwich Albion | H | W | 2–0 | McSheffrey (2) 19', 90' | 21,009 |
| 31 October 2006 | 4th | Coventry City | A | W | 1–0 | Bendtner 26' | 27,212 |
| 4 November 2006 | 4th | Plymouth Argyle | A | W | 1–0 | Jaïdi 75' | 17,008 |
| 11 November 2006 | 3rd | Barnsley | H | W | 2–0 | McSheffrey 35', Danns 90' | 19,344 |
| 18 November 2006 | 3rd | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | D | 1–1 | McSheffrey 30' | 22,256 |
| 25 November 2006 | 3rd | Burnley | A | W | 2–1 | Bendtner 15', Campbell 83' | 12,889 |
| 29 November 2006 | 3rd | Southampton | A | L | 3–4 | Jerome 68', Bendtner 72', Jaïdi 90' | 21,889 |
| 2 December 2006 | 1st | Plymouth Argyle | H | W | 3–0 | Bendtner 21', Upson 30', McSheffrey 41' | 22,592 |
| 9 December 2006 | 1st | Preston North End | H | W | 3–1 | McSheffrey (3) 32', 40', 89' pen. | 23,159 |
| 16 December 2006 | 1st | Sheffield Wednesday | A | W | 3–0 | Clemence 42', McSheffrey 65', Jerome 90' | 26,083 |
| 23 December 2006 | 1st | Southend United | A | W | 4–0 | Campbell 8', Clemence 38', McSheffrey 54', Jaïdi 84' | 9,781 |
| 26 December 2006 | 1st | Queens Park Rangers | H | W | 2–1 | Upson 22', Jerome 62' | 29,431 |
| 29 December 2006 | 1st | Luton Town | H | D | 2–2 | McSheffrey 31', Danns 90' | 24,642 |
| 1 January 2007 | 1st | Ipswich Town | A | L | 0–1 | | 22,436 |
| 30 January 2007 | 2nd | Southend United | H | L | 1–3 | Clarke 9' o.g. | 19,177 |
| 3 February 2007 | 4th | Colchester United | A | D | 1–1 | Clemence 66' | 5,918 |
| 11 February 2007 | 2nd | Stoke City | H | W | 1–0 | McSheffrey 71' | 15,854 |
| 17 February 2007 | 2nd | Crystal Palace | A | W | 1–0 | Jerome 34' | 17,233 |
| 20 February 2007 | 3rd | Sunderland | H | D | 1–1 | Campbell 90' | 20,941 |
| 24 February 2007 | 3rd | Hull City | A | L | 0–2 | | 18,811 |
| 27 February 2007 | 1st | Leeds United | H | W | 1–0 | Bendtner 15' | 18,363 |
| 4 March 2007 | 1st | Cardiff City | H | W | 1–0 | Larsson 56' | 28,223 |
| 9 March 2007 | 1st | Derby County | H | W | 1–0 | Vine 45' | 20,962 |
| 13 March 2007 | 1st | Norwich City | A | L | 0–1 | | 23,504 |
| 18 March 2007 | 2nd | West Bromwich Albion | A | D | 1–1 | D. Johnson 86' | 21,434 |
| 1 April 2007 | 2nd | Coventry City | H | W | 3–0 | Jaïdi 13', Campbell (2) 65', 78' | 25,424 |
| 7 April 2007 | 3rd | Burnley | H | L | 0–1 | | 28,777 |
| 9 April 2007 | 3rd | Barnsley | A | L | 0–1 | | 15,857 |
| 14 April 2007 | 3rd | Southampton | H | W | 2–1 | Jaïdi 13', Bendtner 79' | 19,754 |
| 17 April 2007 | 2nd | Leicester City | A | W | 2–1 | Jaïdi 13', Larsson 19' | 24,290 |
| 22 April 2007 | 1st | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | W | 3–2 | Cole 54', Bendtner 77', Jerome 88' | 22,754 |
| 28 April 2007 | 1st | Sheffield Wednesday | H | W | 2–0 | Jerome 74', Larsson 84' | 28,317 |
| 6 May 2007 | 2nd | Preston North End | A | L | 0–1 | | 16,837 |

### League table (part)

Final Championship table (part) :
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
| 1st | Sunderland | 46 | 27 | 7 | 12 | 76 | 47 | +29 | 88 |
| 2nd | Birmingham City | 46 | 26 | 8 | 12 | 67 | 42 | +25 | 86 |
| 3rd | Derby County | 46 | 25 | 9 | 12 | 62 | 46 | +16 | 84 |
| 4th | West Bromwich Albion | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 81 | 55 | +26 | 76 |
| 5th | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 59 | 56 | +3 | 76 |
| Key | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points |
| Source | | | | | | | | | |

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source:

## FA Cup

Birmingham reached the fourth round of the 2006–07 FA Cup before losing to Reading of the Premier League.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Third round | 6 January 2007 | Newcastle United | H | D | 2–2 | Campbell 15', Larsson 86' | 16,444 |
| Third round replay | 17 January 2007 | Newcastle United | A | W | 5–1 | McSheffrey 5', Solano 45' o.g., Ngotty 59', Larsson 83', Campbell 89' | 26,099 |
| Fourth round | 27 January 2007 | Reading | H | L | 2–3 | Martin Taylor 47', Larsson 90' | 20,041 |

## League Cup

Birmingham reached the fourth round of the 2006–07 League Cup before losing to Liverpool of the Premier League.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| First round | 22 August 2006 | Shrewsbury Town | H | W | 1–0 | Larsson 83' | 12,428 |
| Second round | 19 September 2006 | Wrexham | H | W | 4–1 a.e.t. | Jerome 41', McSheffrey (2) 102', 113', Bendtner 117' | 10,491 |
| Third round | 24 October 2006 | Sheffield United | A | W | 4–2 | Campbell 41, Bendtner 70', Jerome 79', Larsson 90' | 10,584 |
| Fourth round | 8 November 2006 | Liverpool | H | L | 0–1 | | 23,061 |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Player | Club† | Fee |
| 31 May 2006 | Cameron Jerome | Cardiff City | £3m |
| 20 June 2006 | Neil Danns | Colchester United | £500,000 |
| 28 June 2006 | Stephen Kelly | Tottenham Hotspur | £750,000 |
| 6 July 2006 | Bruno Ngotty | (Bolton Wanderers) | Free |
| 4 August 2006 | Radhi Jaïdi | Bolton Wanderers | £2m |
| 16 August 2006 | Gary McSheffrey | Coventry City | £4m |
| 31 August 2006 | Artur Krysiak | UKS SMS Łódź | Undisclosed |
| 11 January 2007 | Rowan Vine | Luton Town | £2.5m |
| 31 January 2007 | Patrick Kavanagh | (UCD) | Free |
| 31 January 2007 | Sebastian Larsson | Arsenal | £1m |
    † Brackets round club names indicate the player's contract with that club had expired before he joined Birmingham.

#### Loan in

| Date | Player | Club | Return |
| 3 August 2006 | Fabrice Muamba | Arsenal | End of season |
| 4 August 2006 | Nicklas Bendtner | Arsenal | End of season |
| 4 August 2006 | Sebastian Larsson | Arsenal | 31 January 2007 |
| 31 January 2007 | Gary Dicker | UCD | End of season |
| 21 March 2007 | Andy Cole | Portsmouth | End of season |

### Out

| Date | Player | Fee | Joined† |
| 7 July 2006 | Emile Heskey | £5.5m | Wigan Athletic |
| 26 July 2006 | Jermaine Pennant | £6.7m | Liverpool |
| 3 August 2006 | Alex Bruce | Free | Ipswich Town |
| 5 January 2007 | Peter Till | Free | Grimsby Town |
| 11 January 2007 | Oliver Allen | Released | (Barnet) |
| 17 January 2007 | David Dunn | £5.5m | Blackburn Rovers |
| 25 January 2007 | James Blake | Released | (Redditch United) |
| 31 January 2007 | Marcos Painter | £25,000 | Swansea City |
| 31 January 2007 | Matthew Upson | £6m | West Ham United |
| 30 June 2007 | Mathew Birley | Released | (Bromsgrove Rovers) |
| 30 June 2007 | Julian Gray | Released | (Coventry City) |
| 30 June 2007 | Mark Hall | Released | |
| 30 June 2007 | Patrick Kavanagh | Released | (Bray Wanderers) |
| 30 June 2007 | Jake Meredith | Released | (Team Bath) |
| 30 June 2007 | Bruno Ngotty | Free | (Leicester City) |
| 30 June 2007 | Jamie Price | Released | (Gloucester City) |
| 30 June 2007 | Nick Wright | Released | (Halesowen Town) |
    † Brackets round club names denote the player joined that club after his Birmingham City contract expired.

#### Loan out

| Date | Player | Club | Return |
| 6 October 2006 | Peter Till | Leyton Orient | One month |
| 12 October 2006 | Nick Wright | Bristol City | One month |
| 27 October 2006 | Adam Legzdins | Oldham Athletic | January 2007 |
| 14 November 2006 | Marcos Painter | Swansea City | 31 January 2007 |
| 23 November 2006 | Mathew Birley | Lincoln City | One month |
| 23 November 2006 | Nick Wright | Northampton Town | One month |
| 23 November 2006 | Peter Till | Grimsby Town | 5 January 2007 |
| 4 January 2007 | Jamie Price | Tamworth | One month |
| 12 January 2007 | Adam Legzdins | Macclesfield Town | One month |
| 16 February 2007 | Sam Oji | Bristol Rovers | Two months |
| 30 March 2007 | Asa Hall | Ashford Town (Kent) | End of season |
| 30 March 2007 | Nick Wright | Ashford Town (Kent) | End of season |

## Appearances and goals

    Sources:
    Numbers in parentheses denote appearances made as a substitute.
    Players marked † left the club during the playing season.
    Players with names in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Birmingham.
    Players listed with no appearances have been in the matchday squad but only as unused substitutes.
    Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
Players' appearances and goals by competition :
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total | Discipline | Discipline |
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | | |
| 1 | GK | NIR | Maik Taylor | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | IRE | Stephen Kelly | 35 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 39 (2) | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Mat Sadler | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Martin Taylor | 29 (2) | 0 | 2 (1) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 35 (3) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Matthew Upson † | 8 (1) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 (1) | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | ENG | Stephen Clemence | 31 (3) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 (3) | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | SWE | Sebastian Larsson | 27 (16) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 34 (16) | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | David Dunn † | 9 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 9 (3) | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Andy Cole * | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | FIN | Mikael Forssell | 3 (5) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 (5) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Cameron Jerome | 20 (18) | 7 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 26 (18) | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Julian Gray | 2 (5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 (5) | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 12 | MF | TUN | Mehdi Nafti | 18 (14) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 (15) | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | IRE | Colin Doyle | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | ENG | DJ Campbell | 15 (17) | 9 | 3 | 2 | 2 (2) | 1 | 20 (19) | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | AUS | Neil Kilkenny | 0 (8) | 0 | 0 (3) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 2 (12) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | CIV | Olivier Tébily | 5 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | ENG | Neil Danns | 11 (18) | 3 | 0 (3) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 (21) | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | ENG | Rowan Vine | 10 (7) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 (7) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | IRE | Marcos Painter † | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | FRA | Bruno Ngotty | 25 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 22 | MF | NIR | Damien Johnson | 24 (2) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 (2) | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 24 | DF | TUN | Radhi Jaïdi | 38 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Fabrice Muamba * | 30 (4) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 36 (5) | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| 27 | FW | DEN | Nicklas Bendtner * | 38 (4) | 11 | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 (4) | 2 | 39 (9) | 13 | 5 | 1 |
| 28 | FW | ENG | Gary McSheffrey | 40 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 (1) | 2 | 44 (1) | 16 | 6 | 1 |
| 29 | GK | ENG | Adam Legzdins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* 1 2 Soccerbase's stats for the match between Derby County and Birmingham City on 9 March 2007 omit substitute appearances by Jerome and Johnson.
Players not included in matchday squads :
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name |
| 18 | DF | ENG | Sam Oji |
| 25 | FW | ENG | Sone Aluko |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Mathew Birley † |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Peter Till † |