Birmingham City make first major transfer decision since Gary Rowett appointment

Birmingham City have taken their first major transfer decision since appointing Gary Rowett as their interim manager.

Striker Ben Beresford has been recalled from his loan at Gloucester City. It was initially meant to be a month's loan deal when he joined last winter but that was extended to the remainder of the campaign back in February.

The 19-year-old has been with the Tigers since November 2023, but is now back with Blues until the end of the campaign. Players loaned out to clubs outside of the EFL can move up until any time before late March, and now Beresford could be eligible to play for the first team.

In a statement published on Friday afternoon, the club said: "The club can confirm that striker Ben Beresford has returned to parent club @BCFC , bringing an end to his fantastic loan with the club. Thank you and good luck, Ben."

Beresford was their top scorer, having scored 13 goals in all competitions this term. His recall has delivered a major blow to Gloucester who are fighting to secure their National League North status. They have been involved in a relegation battle and with just seven games left in their season they are nine games adrift of safety.

During his time at TigerTurf Stadium, he played alongside Zach Jeacock who was at Birmingham until his release in February. The centre-forward is under contract with Blues until the summer of 2025, and has been at the club for the last four seasons having joined on a scholarship deal from Basford United.

In other news, the under-18s team are in action against Swansea City this weekend. The young Blues play in the Professional Development League at Swansea's Landore training ground at 12.00 pm on Saturday, March 23. Birmingham are top of the North table and come in to the fixture having won their last six matches.