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Birmingham City break EFL points record with win over Blackpool

Birmingham City break EFL points record with win over Blackpool

New York Times30-04-2025
Birmingham City have broken the English Football League (EFL) points record with a win over Blackpool on Wednesday, taking their League One total to 108 with one game remaining.
The previous record was held by Reading, who won the Championship with 106 points in the 2006-07 campaign.
Goals from Ethan Laird and Alfie May gave Birmingham a 2-0 win over ninth-placed Blackpool.
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Birmingham's 4-0 win over Mansfield Town on Sunday also saw them break the League One record of 103 points set by Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2013-14. They secured promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking on April 8 and were crowned champions four days later after Wrexham failed to beat Wigan Athletic.
Manager Chris Davies told BBC Radio WM before the Blackpool game that he does not think his side's League One points tally 'will ever be beaten'.
Birmingham were acquired by American investment firm Knighthead in July 2023, with NFL great Tom Brady on board as a minority shareholder. The club were relegated from the Championship last season after finishing 22nd, having had four managers during the 2023-24 season.
Davies was appointed manager in June 2024, leaving his role as senior assistant coach under Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur.
Birmingham were active in the summer transfer window, bringing in 17 new players including Jay Stansfield from Fulham for a League One record fee of at least £15million ($20m). The 22-year-old is second in the league's scoring charts with 19 goals behind Leyton Orient's Charlie Kelman, who has 21.
Davies' side have scored the most goals and conceded the least in the league this season, losing only three of their 45 games. They visit Cambridge United on the final day of the EFL regular season on Saturday.
Wrexham will join Birmingham in the second tier next season, having achieved promotion with 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic on April 26.
Fifth-placed Charlton have secured a play-off spot, alongside fourth-placed Wycombe Wanderers and Stockport County in third. Leyton Orient currently occupy the final play-off slot in sixth though they are level on points with Reading, one place behind, ahead of the final round.
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