No time for complacency

With promotion already won and the season’s awards already handed over, it could be a difficult task to motivate the team for their final game at Deepdale.

Preston North End are in a bad run of form that has seen them drop out of the playoff places and win only one game out of their last seven.

A good time then, to be playing a team that can afford to sit back on its laurels?

When interviewed earlier in the week, Nicklas Bendtner was assured that he was still chasing a Champions’ medal. He feels that he came to help Birmingham get promoted and he has already achieved that aim, but he wants the true taste of success that only holding a trophy can bring.

The entire team needs to have that level of focus at Deepdale tomorrow. Blues have had considerable success this season against teams at the top half of the division and have to apply the same level of concentration against Preston to take their first league title for decades.

Preston are still in with a good chance of a playoff place with a win, so are likely to come out of the blocks in the hope that Birmingham are going to sit back, secure in the knowledge that the Premiership awaits.

The Lillywhites have dangerous players in the form of Whaley, Ormerod and Nugent, together with experienced defenders Alexander and Pugh to form a team that, although stuttering recently, has pulled off some good results this season. They are certainly going to want to spoil the Blues’ end of term party.

A better result than Sunderland will see the Championship trophy come to Birmingham and its the hope of all their fans that this will spur them on for the final chapter in their journey back to the top flight.