Second City boys arrive at Deepdale, fresh up after cruising League 1, under American owners although personal view they seem a bunch of classless Yanks, if you remember the Bristol St Motors final, having lost the final 2-1 to Peterborough, the owner decided to give them a pep talk after the game, delaying the presentation of the trophy to United. https://www.bcfc.com/pages/en/home MANAGER please log in to view this image Christopher Paul Davies (born 27 March 1985) is a professional football coach and former player who is the manager of EFL Championship club Birmingham City. Davies was a youth player for Reading and Wales before retiring in 2004, aged 19. He became a football coach, initially coaching youth teams in England and abroad, before becoming assistant to Brendan Rodgers at Swansea City, Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester City. After a season at Tottenham Hotspur as the senior assistant coach to Ange Postecoglou, Davies became manager of Birmingham City in 2024. THE BOYS please log in to view this image FORM GUIDE please log in to view this image PNE 11 BRUM 6 Team News Paul Heckingbottom is expected to be able to call upon the same group of players which headed to The Hawthorns at the weekend. The manager has spoken all season long about the importance of his whole squad being ready when needed and with three games in a week, changes could be necessary to keep things fresh. Brad Potts, Jordan Thompson, Pol Valentín, Robbie Brady and Will Keane remain unavailable. The Visitors Chris Davies’ Birmingham City took League One by storm last season, finishing the campaign with an EFL record 111 points to secure their return to the second tier. Blues had a busy summer transfer window, bringing in a real mix of youth and experience, with the return of former player Demarai Gray arguably their standout acquisition. Birmingham have made a steady start to Championship life, accumulating 12 points in ten matches, although they were beaten 3-2 by Hull City at the weekend. Match Officials Referee: Lewis Smith Assistant Referees: Alex James and Mark Stevens Fourth Official: Robert Madley Lewis Smith, who was the referee for PNE’s victory over Derby County last month, will take be the main official again on Tuesday night. So far this season, Smith has refereed six matches, showing 22 yellow cards in that time. We’ve Met Before The last time Birmingham City were at Deepdale in September 2023, league leaders PNE secured a sixth straight victory.
