The 2021–22 season is Birmingham City Football Club's 119th season in the English football league system and 11th consecutive season in the second-tier Championship. As with all English Football League clubs, the first team also competed in the FA Cup and EFL Cup.
The season covers the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022.
Background and pre-season
All Birmingham's home matches in the 2020–21 season were played behind closed doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under head coach Aitor Karanka, Birmingham City gradually slid down the 2020–21 Championship table until, with ten games remaining and in serious danger of relegation, former Birmingham player Lee Bowyer resigned as manager of Charlton Athletic to take over as head coach. The team lost only one of the next eight matches and retained their Championship status with two games still to play. On 11 May 2021, CEO Ren Xuandong resigned.
In June 2020, the club announced a four-year partnership with Nike as supplier of kits, which carry the logo of the club's principal sponsor, Irish bookmaker BoyleSports. The home shirt has a camouflage-patterned front in two shades of blue, worn with white shorts and blue socks, while the away kit has a yellow shirt with blue pinstripes and trim, similar to the Europa League kit of ten years before, with blue shirts and white socks. In November, they brought out a limited-edition third kit; the shirt has a camouflage front in orange and green and a predominantly green back, and is worn with orange shorts and socks.
After a training camp in Scotland, Birmingham planned five pre-season friendlies: away to Cheltenham Town and Northampton Town, behind-closed-doors games at the Wast Hills training ground against Oxford Unitedwho cancelled due to COVID-19 and were replaced by a Salford City XIand Barrow, and one match at St Andrew's against West Bromwich Albion.
+ Pre-season friendly match detailsDateOpponentsVenueResultScoreF–AScorers17 July 2021Cheltenham TownAW3–0Gardner 6', Hogan 36', Leko 82'20 July 2021BarrowHD1–1Gardner 76'24 July 2021Salford City XIHW7–0Stirk 1', Williams 9', Lakin 45', Hogan (2) 47', 70', Aneke 48', George 87'24 July 2021Northampton TownAL2–3Sánchez 5', Jutkiewicz 38'31 July 2021West Bromwich AlbionHL0–4
EFL Championship
League table
Results summary
Match results + EFL Championship match detailsDateLeaguepositionOpponentsVenueResultScoreF–AScorersAttendance7 August 20215thSheffield UnitedAW1–0Colin 19'29,04314 August 202110thStoke CityHD0–010,18918 August 202114thAFC BournemouthHL0–29,92221 August 20218thLuton TownAW5–0Marc Roberts 7', Hogan (2) 26', 47', Gardner 84', Aneke 88'10,01428 August 20218thBarnsleyAD1–1Jutkiewicz 33'13,95010 September 20214thDerby CountyHW2–0 Hogan 31', Bela 81'14,91215 September 202110thFulhamHL1–4Deeney 87' (pen.)14,56218 September 202111thPeterborough UnitedAL0–312,19925 September 202112thPreston North EndHD0–014,92528 September 202113thQueens Park RangersAL0–212,2572 October 202116thNottingham ForestHL0–315,14815 October 202116thWest Bromwich AlbionAL0–124,87020 October 202119thHuddersfield TownAD0–015,61823 October 202117thSwansea CityHW2–1Deeney 47', McGree 82'16,13230 October 202114thMiddlesbroughAW2–0Marc Roberts 53', Hogan 56'21,5822 November 202113thBristol CityHW3–0McGree 14', Hogan 68', Gardner 76'16,1436 November 202115thReadingHL1–2Hogan 3'17,53520 November 202115thHull CityAL0–212,40923 November 202117thCoventry CityAD0–022,67627 November 202113thBlackpoolHW1–0Jutkiewicz 81'17,6864 December 202115thMillwallAL1–3Deeney 56'14,32411 December 202115thCardiff CityHD2–2Deeney 29', Šunjić 45+1'17,84018 December 202117thBlackburn RoversAL0–412,1482 January 202218thQueens Park RangersHL1–2Aneke 75'18,27915 January 202218thPreston North EndAD1–1Hogan 86'12,82118 January 202218thFulhamAL2–6Šunjić 45', Gardner 74'16,49122 January 202218thBarnsleyHW2–1Hernández 34', Hogan 51'15,74225 January 202218thPeterborough UnitedHD2–2Gardner 85', Hogan 88'16,38030 January 202217thDerby CountyAD2–2Taylor 7', Hogan 56'32,2114 February 202217thSheffield UnitedHL1–2Taylor 61'17,1949 February 202218thAFC BournemouthAL1–3Hernández 69'8,70812 February 202217thLuton TownHW3–0Bacuna 25', Taylor 46', Hernández 69'17,29219 February 202218thStoke CityAD2–2James 12', Gardner 58'23,50222 February 202218thReadingAL1–2McIntyre 82' (o.g.)12,07326 February 202219thHuddersfield TownHL0–217,3185 March 202218thBristol CityAW2–1Chong 2', Gordon 13'21,94212 March 202219thHull CityHD0–017,23115 March 202219thMiddlesbroughHL0–215,85219 March 202219thSwansea CityAD0–018,6203 April 202218thWest Bromwich AlbionHW1–0Taylor 67' (pen.)17,9369 April 202218thNottingham ForestAL0–229,29315 April 202220thCoventry CityHL2–4Pedersen 12', Gardner 39'17,63418 April 202220thBlackpoolAL1–6Šunjić 63'13,99323 April 202220thMillwallHD2–2Bacuna 47', Taylor 79' (pen.)17,20630 April 202220thCardiff CityAD1–1Bela 22'21,3957 May 202220thBlackburn RoversHL1–2Pedersen 78'18,659
FA Cup
Birmingham City were drawn at home to League One club Plymouth Argyle in the third round.
+ FA Cup match detailsRoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScoreF–AScorersAttendanceThird round8 January 2022Plymouth ArgyleHL0–1 9,823
EFL Cup
Birmingham were drawn to play League One club Colchester United at home in the first round. Bowyer made 11 changes from the team that started at Sheffield United 72 hours earlier, giving debuts to Chuks Aneke, Jordan Graham and Marcel Oakley, and it was Oakley who scored the only goal of the game with a 75th-minute deflected shot. Tate Campbell made his Birmingham debut as a substitute, and Jobe Bellingham, the 15-year-old brother of England international Jude, was also named on the bench. In the second round they fielded a slightly less weakened team, but still made 10 changes from the previous league match, with Mitch Roberts, Dion Sanderson and (as a substitute) Alfie Chang making their first Birmingham appearances and Neil Etheridge returning in goal after recovering from COVID-19. Opponents Fulham, newly relegated from the Premier League, scored midway through the first half after an error by Ivan Šunjić, but Birmingham held out until stoppage time before conceding a second.
+ EFL Cup match detailsRoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScoreF–AScorersAttendanceFirst round10 August 2021Colchester UnitedHW1–0Oakley 75'6,199Second round24 August 2021FulhamHL0–24,783
Transfers
In DatePlayerClub Fee 1 July 2021 Chuks Aneke (Charlton Athletic) Free 1 July 2021 Jordan Graham (Gillingham) Free 1 July 2021 Ryan Woods (Stoke City) Free 16 July 2021 Oliver Basey (Sunderland) Free 9 August 2021 Archie Matthews (Swindon Town) Free 31 August 2021 Troy Deeney Watford Free 15 November 2021 Renedi Masampu (Dulwich Hamlet) Free 27 January 2022 Juninho Bacuna Rangers Undisclosed Brackets round a club's name indicate the player's contract with that club had expired before he joined Birmingham.
Loaned in DatePlayerClubReturn 1 July 2021 Riley McGree Charlotte FC 1 January 2022 6 July 2021 Juan Castillo Chelsea End of season, recalled 21 January 2022 9 July 2021 Tahith Chong Manchester United End of season 19 July 2021 Dion Sanderson Wolverhampton Wanderers End of season, recalled 4 January 2022 26 July 2021 Matija Sarkic Wolverhampton Wanderers End of season, terminated (injury) 6 January 2022 4 January 2022 Teden Mengi Manchester United End of season 7 January 2022 Taylor Richards Brighton & Hove Albion End of season 14 January 2022 Onel Hernández Norwich City End of season 27 January 2022 Lyle Taylor Nottingham Forest End of season
Out DatePlayerClub Fee 15 July 2021 Andrés Prieto (Dinamo Tbilisi) Mutual consent 22 July 2021 Steve Seddon Oxford United Undisclosed 31 August 2021 Charlie Lakin Burton Albion Undisclosed 5 November 2021 Adam Clayton (Doncaster Rovers) Mutual consent 7 January 2022 Caolan Boyd-Munce Middlesbrough Undisclosed 14 January 2022 Chuks Aneke Charlton Athletic Undisclosed 21 January 2022 Connor Barratt Sheffield United Undisclosed 31 January 2022 Leo Dos Reis Monza Undisclosed 17 February 2022 Cianole Nguepissi West Bromwich Albion Free 30 June 2022 Jérémie Bela (Clermont Foot) Contract expired 30 June 2022 Renedi Masampu (Metropolitan Police) Released 30 June 2022 Archie Matthews (Swansea City) Released 30 June 2022 Kristian Pedersen (1. FC Köln) Contract expired 30 June 2022 Oriol Soldevila (Intercity) Released 30 June 2022 Kane Thompson-Sommers (Hereford) Released 30 June 2022 Connal Trueman (Millwall) Released 30 June 2022 Yoane Zohore Released 30 June 2022 Iván Sánchez Real Valladolid Undisclosed 30 June 2022 Fran Villalba Sporting Gijon Undisclosed Brackets round a club's name denote the player joined that club after his Birmingham City contract expired.
Loaned out DatePlayerClubReturn 27 July 2021 Ryan Stirk Mansfield Town End of season 30 July 2021 Zach Jeacock Salford City End of season, recalled 11 January 2022 2 August 2021 Kane Thompson-Sommers Woking January 2022 3 August 2021 Fran Villalba Sporting Gijon End of season 9 August 2021 Odin Bailey Livingston End of season 10 August 2021 Josh Andrews Rochdale End of season 11 August 2021 Sam Cosgrove Shrewsbury Town End of season, recalled 31 January 2022 31 August 2021 Jonathan Leko Charlton Athletic End of season 16 September 2021 Archie Matthews Bath City 16 October 2021 23 November 2021 Connal Trueman Oxford United 30 November 2021 26 November 2021 Oliver Basey Hednesford Town 5 January 2022 26 January 2022 Harlee Dean Sheffield Wednesday End of season 31 January 2022 Sam Cosgrove AFC Wimbledon End of season 31 January 2022 Mitchell Roberts Carlisle United End of season 31 January 2022 Iván Sánchez Real Valladolid End of season 11 February 2022 Kyle Hurst Alvechurch End of season 11 March 2022 Oliver Basey Hednesford Town End of season 18 March 2022 Archie Matthews Gloucester City One month 24 March 2022 Yohan Zohore Hednesford Town End of season
Appearances and goals
Sources:For representative nationality:
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 competitionNameLeagueFA CupEFL CupTotalDisciplineGoalsGoalsGoalsGoals1GKNeil Etheridge2101010230202DFMaxime Colin31 (2)1100032 (2)1203DFKristian Pedersen37210003821114DFMarc Roberts3920000392705DFGeorge Friend12 (2)0102015 (2)0216MFRyan Woods25 (5)0100026 (5)0717MFTahith Chong *19 (1)1000019 (1)1208MFTaylor Richards *2 (4)000002 (4)0109FWScott Hogan28 (8)10100029 (8)102010FWLukas Jutkiewicz17 (19)2000017 (19)21011FWJérémie Bela26 (5)2000026 (5)23012DFHarlee Dean14 (1)0000014 (1)02013GKMatija Sarkic * 23000002300014FWJonathan Leko1 (3)000203 (3)01015FWChuks Aneke 1 (17)20 (1)0203 (18)22017MFIván Sánchez0 (2)000101 (2)00018MFRiley McGree * 10 (3)2001 (1)011 (4)25018DFTeden Mengi *9010001001019MFJordan James13 (7)1100014 (7)11020MFGary Gardner31 (4)6100032 (4)69221DFDion Sanderson * 14 (1)0001015 (1)02021MFJuninho Bacuna16 (1)2000016 (1)24023DFJuan Castillo * 1 (2)000212 (2)01024MFJordan Graham18 (6)0002020 (6)01025MFOnel Hernández *22300002233027GKConnal Trueman0 (1)000101 (1)00031MFCharlie Lakin 00001 (1)01 (1)00033FWLyle Taylor *14500001453034MFIvan Šunjić33 (8)30 (1)02035 (9)38035MFGeorge Hall1 (1)000001 (1)00036FWTroy Deeney15 (6)4100016 (6)40038GKZach Jeacock200000200039MFJobe Bellingham0 (2)00 (1)0000 (3)00041MFRemi Walker000000000042MFAlfie Chang000 (1)00 (1)00 (2)00043DFMitch Roberts100010200045DFRenedi Masampu000000000046MFBrandon Khela000000000048MFJosh Williams000 (1)00 (1)00 (2)00050DFNico Gordon11100101212052DFMarcel Oakley200021411053MFTate Campbell00100 (1)02 (1)00054FWKeyendrah Simmonds00000 (1)00 (1)000