Birmingham City’s 1996/97 season was a solid one in the First Division (now the Championship) under manager Trevor Francis. The club, newly promoted the previous year, established itself as a competitive second-tier side.
Birmingham finished 10th in the league — a respectable mid-table position — showing flashes of ambition but lacking the consistency for a promotion push. Their best moments came in cup competitions: they reached the League Cup semi-finals, famously defeating Newcastle United and Coventry City before narrowly losing to Middlesbrough over two legs.
Key players included Paul Furlong, Steve Bruce, and Mike Newell, while Francis’s leadership helped lay foundations for future promotion ambitions.
