With the likes of local and bitter rivals Aston Villa and Wolves both enjoying stellar campaigns in their respective divisions, the blue half of Birmingham is no different where Birmingham City are concerned. Founded in 1968 under the original name of Birmingham City Ladies Football Club, the Blues play in the Barclays Women’s Championship – the second tier of professional women’s football in England. And the team are excelling in life in the second tier after last season’s miserable relegation from the Women’s Super League.
Under the guidance of Darren Carter, Birmingham currently occupies third in the Championship, seven points off top spot albeit with a game in hand on the league’s leaders, Bristol City. Blues most recently swept Crystal Palace aside 2-4 to hand them their fourth consecutive win. That run has also seen blues do the double over Palace in the space of just over one month. Star players like Lucy Quinn and Claudia Walker are important to a Blues side who will still have an instant promotion in their sights.
Eleven points in twenty-two matches was all Carter’s side managed to accumulate in a tough WSL season. And life in the Championship didn’t exactly go to plan with the Blues being inconsistent and unconvincing in the opening five games. A 0-4 thrashing of Sunderland was sandwiched in-between a 3-0 loss and a goalless draw. Back-to-back 3-2 wins at home against Coventry United and Brighton put their promotion task back on track. Despite getting maximum points out of both fixtures, leaking goals at the wrong end of the pitch would have been a concern – a consistency in the WSL that looked as if it had followed through to the next season.
Defensive woes have a case for being resolved as the season has worn on. Ten clean sheets in nineteen matches are certainly nothing to be passed up on. Darren Carter’s team also possess one of the moth potent attacks in the division with thirty-four goals to the good. The third best in the division.
Only three games remain for the blues. Two upcoming games against Durham Women come before a potential title decider where Birmingham welcome Bristol City to St. Andrews. For this mouth-watering of a clash to happen, Bristol City muse lose their home fixture to Charlton Athletic who sit just below Birmingham. However, the blues must equally do the double over Durham in quick succession which won’t be easy.
If the possibilities don’t come to fruition, then it has still been a remarkable season for Birmingham. A year of progress and transition. No doubt they will be challenging for promotion in the 2023-24 season.
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