'We've maintained...' - Chris Davies unveils his non-negotiable demand after Birmingham City's promotion

Birmingham City are on the rise again and, in truth, it was never really in doubt.

Promoted back to the Championship at the first time of asking, Blues have blitzed League One and have secured their second-tier status for next season with six matches to go. Come the weekend, it may not just be promotion being celebrated but potentially a title, too.

Money bags this, money bags that. It’s still not easy to win a 24-team league. Especially one as rough and rugged as League One. Manager Chris Davies, in his first-ever proper managerial role, has done an exceptional job of keeping this team of players motivated throughout a long and tough season. Nobody can take that away from him.

Tuesday night’s 2-1 victory away at Peterborough United was enough for Blues to move 17 points clear of third-placed Wycombe Wanderers, making it mathematically impossible to fall out of the automatic promotion spots. The performance was paradigmatic of the season on the whole, most would argue, as Blues had to battle hard to win; Alfie May’s 19th-minute opener was pegged back quickly by Kwame Poku before Taylor Gardner-Hickman netted the crucial winner.

“I’m as happy as I can possibly be right now! I think to win here was a great result but what it means is we’re promoted,” Davies told Blues TV after the match, smiling from ear to ear.

“The scenes at the end and the celebrations, I’m so proud of all the players and staff and what they’ve given. And the fans. It’s a special night that will live with me forever.

“The expectation has been there right from the very first second that I joined the club. That was what I wanted, the pressure and expectation because that’s the kind of club you want to be at. The players in every single game, they’ve been expected to win it. That’s not easy.

“There are not many teams in England - if any - that have had that this season. Every single game home and away, the consistency they’ve shown. For me, it means the world. When I became the manager of this club, I dreamed of making the fans proud of their club basically, to give them memories and moments they can cherish. Tonight was one of those.”

Bluenoses deserve success after years of hardship

From relegation from the Premier League to the Championship, to years of mid-table mediocrity in the second tier and years of deep financial security under unstable ownership, Birmingham have been through their fair share of trials and tribulations.

But, through it all, the fans have never failed to retain their support. Home and away, Bluenoses so often pack out stadiums to the rafters and there aren’t many fanbases more deserving of such success, whether it be the third tier or not.

“The club has suffered enough so you should enjoy and celebrate the good times,” Davies insists. “I always remember the first day I came to the club, I was told by the historian when walking around St Andrew’s that the club has lost more games of football in the last five years than any team in England. I straight away thought to myself, ‘Let’s make sure next season we win more games than any other team in England’.

“It’s been a great journey so far, the way the fans have accepted me is special because I was an unknown and not an experienced manager. I thank the owners for the opportunity that they gave me because I know how passionate they are and how much they want to take the club on. It couldn’t have gone any better so far.”

Davies never sways from compulsory demand

Favourites or not. Promoted or not. Title winners or not. Davies will never let his non-negotiable demand slip. Players must always put in 100 per cent effort if they are to succeed under his stewardship and they’ve bought into that. It’s a habit that could carry the club very far.

“We’ve maintained a hunger and a consistency every day,” Davies added. “What I wanted to make sure was we wouldn’t just turn up on a matchday and then mess around in the week at the training ground; every day matters, every training session matters, every physiotherapy session matters, everything matters.

“To put the pressure on ourselves every day, you know, so when you come to a match day, you’re just used to it. I think the players have done those high standards every day, every week, every month and it’s allowed us to be really consistent.”

As if it couldn’t get any better for Birmingham, this Sunday presents an opportunity to put the cherry on the cake as Davies’ men take on Peterborough once again, this time in the Vertu Trophy final at Wembley. Get your party boots on, Bluenoses.