Hosting an end-of-season awards dinner the day after a do-or-die match which determines the league you will be playing in next season was always going to be a risk.
But those who organised the timing of Birmingham City's 2024 bash probably didn’t realise the jeopardy which would be involved in the first team’s final game of the season. When tickets first went on sale in early March, it felt unlikely that Blues would be fighting it out to remain in the Championship on the final day.
Yet here we are. If Blues don’t beat Norwich City on Saturday, they will begin next season in the third tier of English football. A victory doesn’t mean survival unless Plymouth fail to beat Hull City, or one of Sheffield Wednesday or Blackburn Rovers loses on the final day.
The prospect of club officials and supporters turning up to the ICC building on Sunday to reflect on the first team’s relegation is very real. It certainly wouldn’t be a celebration.
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We must remember that it isn’t just an awards dinner for the men’s team. It is an opportunity to celebrate the women - who finished fifth in their respective Championship campaign - and the academy teams that have exceeded all expectations this season.
A football club is far more than a first team and Blues have performed well in other areas. However, the mood inside the room on Sunday evening hinges on the first team’s outcome on Saturday.
It also begs the question as to whether the first team squad will turn up in the event of relegation. I’m not privy to their contracts or whether they are obliged to show up, but the prospect of relegation and coming face-to-face with disgruntled supporters in an intimate setting might put some off.
Irrespective of what happens against Norwich, I hope Jay Stansfield attends the dinner to see his achievements recognised. Not only has Stansfield scored 13 goals (and counting), he has played with the heart, desire and commitment that Blues fans demand from their players.
The 21-year-old reacted angrily to chants of ‘you’re not fit to wear the shirt’ in the aftermath of the Huddersfield draw. He must realise that they were directed at those around him, not him.
Blues fans couldn’t be more appreciative of Stansfield’s efforts during this disaster of a season. Stansfield will win Blues’ top scorer prize and he should take home the Player of the Year award too.
Lee Buchanan, Krystian Bielik, Koji Miyoshi and Juninho Bacuna have performed to a good standard in chunks of this season, but none of them with the consistency of Stansfield. Whatever the outcome on Saturday, Stansfield is one of the few things worth celebrating on Sunday.
