Town boss Kieran McKenna warns that Easter Monday’s visitors Birmingham City are a match for anyone in the Championship when at their best as the Blues go into what will be a season-defining run of eight games in 27 days.

McKenna’s are currently fourth in the table but with a clear path to winning automatic promotion, Millwall having won 2-1 at Middlesbrough on Good Friday to leap into second, three points above the Blues and one ahead of Boro, but with Town having two games in hand on both the teams immediately above them, as well as leaders Coventry, who now look all but home and hosed having increased their advantage at the top to 11 points via a 3-2 win against Derby County.

The Lions host in-form Norwich City in an early afternoon kick-off on Monday, then Middlesbrough are at Swansea with their match getting under way at 5.30pm.

Birmingham dropped to 14th on Good Friday following their 1-0 home defeat by Blackburn Rovers, their fifth loss in their last seven Championship matches in which they have scored only three times, and are 16 points behind the Blues having played two games more.

They are 11 points off the play-offs, which looks an insurmountable gap with only six games remaining and manager Chris Davies is coming under pressure after a season from which the Midlanders, who came up from League One as champions last term, had high hopes of seriously challenging for a second promotion having spent big in the summer.

Away from home, the Midlanders have the fourth worst form in the division, having picked up 18 points from 20 games via five wins, three draws and 12 losses.

Speaking at his press conference on Thursday, prior to Birmingham’s defeat to Blackburn, Town manager Kieran McKenna said he felt they wouldn’t have been ruling out reaching the play-offs at that stage.

“I’d say they probably haven’t given up on it yet,” he said. “They’re really strong side, no doubt about that.

“We expected them to be. They had a really good pre-season, I was just speaking about that because we played them in the first game and when you’re watching them, with the quality they have, the manager they have and the players they were bringing in, you expected them to be really strong.

“I haven’t followed all their games this season, so there’s clearly been some ups and downs in there, but you can clearly see on their best level of performance, they’re a match for anyone in the division, there’s no doubt about that.

“And they’ve got a really strong group and a good coach. So, we know it’s going to be a tough game.

“Other than that, it’s a game to really look forward to. We know they like to be aggressive and they like to press as well, and play with good energy, and so do we. So, hopefully, it will make for a really good game.

“Of course, we’ll watch them on Friday now and we’ll train and prepare as well as we can and then be ready for battle on Monday.”

The match is the first in Town’s final block of fixtures which sees them play eight times in 27 days, five of them away from home.

McKenna, whose side will have gone 15 days without a game, was asked how important it is to start that run with a win.

“Every game now is really important when there are eight left,” he responded. “But again, you also know there’s very likely going to be some ups and downs along the way and you always want to go and win the first one.

“And irrespective of how it goes, with it being a derby [at Norwich] anyway, the next one [after this is] massive.

“But, for example, I think in the last block of league games we had, we lost to Wrexham, but then had a really good run after that.

“There’s no point putting any more emphasis on it than it needs to be. We know it’s a big game, the last eight games are all going to be really important.

“We have three home games, so especially them in terms of wanting to go out there and deliver performances and get wins. And this is the first chance to do that.”

Recalling the 1-1 draw at St Andrew’s on the opening day of the campaign when the Blues were very much a work in progress with much of the summer transfer business still to be done and Birmingham were on a high following their promotion, McKenna added: “I think [the team’s] in a better place, I think we’re more settled. Players are more settled.

“We had players who weren’t in the door at that stage and the group, as I’ve said many times, was more settled in our situation once we came out of that transfer window.

“But at the same time, watching the game back this week, I think whoever went to St Andrew’s on that first night, that was going to be a tough game.

“I think it being their first game back in the Championship with all the momentum they had, it was always going to be a tough game.

“Again, watching it back, it was just a really broken game. I didn’t think it was a great game. I didn’t think either team really, honestly, imposed themselves on it much, apart from the fact that they had a lot of energy and noise behind them.

“Maybe they created a little bit more pressure and got the first goal from a mistake from us and then we pushed in the last 30 minutes and got a late penalty.

“I’m not sure that game has a massive bearing on this one, to be honest. I think it was a pretty unique situation.

“We know they’re a good team. You look at their game away to Norwich, I thought they played really, really well and in terms of them going away to anyone in the league, I think they know they can perform well and they have the players and the style to compete. 

“Both teams are in a different place now and I think the context of that game was really different. I don’t think it will bear too much on this one.”

Town discourse has been dominated by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s divisive visit to Portman Road since the 1-1 draw with Millwall a fortnight ago with concerns that that controversy may impact the mood at Portman Road on Monday.

Asked whether he had a message for fans ahead of the match, McKenna said: “I don’t think they need a message from me. Our supporters have been brilliant. We know how much they love the club.

“I’ve said it from the day I arrived here, the passion for the football club, as soon as you come to this area, it hits you straight away, so I don’t think anyone’s going to need a rallying call from me on that.

“As I’ve said, you never welcome a situation that causes some discord, but at the same time I trust our supporters to know how important they are to us. The fact that if we’re going to be successful, their support can be a big, big part of it and I think the club has a fantastically bright future, if I’m honest, hopefully, the next month included.

“But I think irrespective of that, there are so many things to be positive about in terms of the short, medium and long-term future of the football club. 

“We’ve got a chance and an opportunity now over the next month, and maybe two chances over the next two months, to go and achieve something that’s happened once in the last 25 years, which is the club playing Premier League football. So what a really good moment for the club.

“I know that they know that and they love their football club. They’ve seen this group try to develop over the course of the season, improve and fight to get better and fight to get the results in a really difficult division.

“And again, I know that they know how hard we’ll be working to give them the end of the season that they want.

“So I’m really confident. I thought the atmosphere in the first half against Millwall was outstanding and the players stepped up with a really good performance in that. 

“And I know we need to take another step now this Monday, but I’ve got every confidence that if we deliver the performance on the pitch, the supporters will be right behind us, like they always are.”

The Team

McKenna said at his press conference that a number of players, including Wes Burns and Marcelino Nunez, who have been out with calf and hamstring injuries respectively, will be touch and go to make it for Monday.

However, the Northern Irishman will have Cedric Kipre back from his two-match ban but with Leif Davis remaining unavailable due to his three-game suspension. That probably gives the Blues boss a decision to make at left-back.

Ben Johnson has impressed covering for Davis in the last two matches, however, Jacob Greaves, who has been in the side for Kipre at left centre-half, has similarly done well when filling in for the former Leeds man.

Given Birmingham’s height and physical presence, Greaves may get the nod at left-back on this occasion with Johnson dropping to the bench as Kipre returns alongside skipper Dara O’Shea, with Darnell Furlong at right-back and Christian Walton in goal.

In midfield, Azor Matusiwa seems likely to be partnered by Dan Neil, while Burns will probably start wide on the right if considered fit enough. Otherwise, either Sindre Walle Egeli or Kasey McAteer will be in the XI.

Anis Mehmeti seems set to be the number 10 with Nunez appearing more likely to be a sub following his absence, while Jack Clarke may get the nod ahead of Jaden Philogene on the left, the former Aston Villa man probably still not quite up to full speed following his injury absence. Ivan Azon has latterly been preferred as the central striker.

History

Historically, the Blues have had the better record in fixtures between the sides, winning 36 times (33 in the league), drawing 19 (19) and losing 30 (24).

Town have won only two of their last 11 against Birmingham and just one of the last six, but with four of those ending in draws.

Birmingham’s last win at Portman Road was a 1-0 success in December 2008, 10 visits ago, the Blues having won five of the games since then.

The teams met at St Andrew’s in the opening game of the season on a Friday night when George Hirst’s 95th-minute penalty claimed an unlikely 1-1 draw for Town, who had gone into the match as Championship favourites.

The newly promoted home side looked set for all three points courtesy of Jay Stansfield’s goal on 55 until sub Lyndon Dykes handled in the area and Hirst confidently found the net to grab a share of the point.

The teams last met at Portman Road in February 2024 with the Blues on their way to promotion from the Championship.

Conor Chaplin, Jeremy Sarmiento and Omari Hutchinson were on target as Town made it four wins out of four by beating the Midlanders 3-1.

Chaplin gave the Blues the lead with a deft flick from a Sam Morsy shot in the 31st minute as the home side dominated the first half, but Jordan James levelled for the visitors in first-half injury time.

Town had to wait until the 81st minute to go back in front via Sarmiento from an Axel Tuanzebe cutback, then Hutchinson sealed a thoroughly deserved victory with his second injury time goal in two games.

Familiar Faces

Town first-team coach Sone Aluko was brought up in Birmingham and came through their academy as a youngster, making one senior appearance, as a sub in a League Cup tie against Hereford in 2007.

Over the summer, Town’s head of operations Rich Carpenter joined Birmingham as director of operations.

Officials

Monday’s referee is Adam Herczeg, his assistants Callum Gough and Lee Venamore, and the fourth official Ruebyn Ricardo.

Prior to the start of this campaign, Herczeg had only taken charge of seven Championship games having made a quick ascent up the divisions since being appointed to the EFL in 2022.

But this season has been officiating at this level regularly, adding 19 to that total. Overall, this term he has shown 93 yellow cards and three red in 25 games.

Durham-based Herczeg, who began refereeing at 15, will be taking control of a Town match for only the second time.

In December, he took charge of the 1-0 home victory over Stoke in which he booked Matusiwa and one of the visitors.

Herczeg red-carded Blues right-back Furlong while playing for West Brom against QPR in March last year for catching Koki Saito with an elbow. The Baggies launched an appeal, manager Tony Mowbray disputing the claim of an elbow, but were unsuccessful.

Squad From

Walton, Palmer, Williamson, Furlong, Johnson, Boniface, O’Shea (c), Kipre, Greaves, Baggott, Matusiwa, Cajuste, Neil, Taylor, Clarke, Philogene, Nunez, Burns, Walle Egeli, McAteer, Mehmeti, Akpom, Hirst, Azon.

Photo: TWTD