Jay Stansfield has seen a lot in his three seasons at Birmingham City. The forward accepts that the team didn’t achieve what they set out to last season – but they do have a platform to build on. Blues did not return to the Championship with modest ambitions under American owners Knighthead. Promotion was the aim from the outset, and the team did not really come close to mounting a genuine challenge. They did, however, finish the season well with a five-game unbeaten run to help restore faith in manager Chris Davies where some supporters are concerned.
Honest Assessment from Stansfield
A sustained tilt at promotion will be Blues’ target next term, and Stansfield – one of four players involved in the club’s relegation two years ago – can see the progress made in his three years at St Andrew’s. Knighthead's mantra of 'the comeback will be greater than the setback' post-relegation has not been lost on Stansfield.
“You never want to get relegated and we didn't expect to get relegated but as everyone says now, it's the best thing that could have happened to Birmingham,” says Stansfield. “As a club, we've risen from there and come back stronger. This season there was obviously a lot of ambition and noise around the club of what we wanted to achieve and we fell short at that hurdle. For us, coming 10th is a platform to build on. We put this season aside and attack next season with even more energy and even more confidence.”
Young Player of the Year Hat-Trick
Stansfield was speaking at Blues’ end-of-season awards dinner where he collected his third straight Young Player of the Year award. It serves as a reminder that the 23-year-old still has his best years ahead of him.
Stansfield added: “Sometimes I forget how young I am and I've still got a lot of learning to do. When you go for a big price tag everyone thinks you're the finished piece and that's not what I've been brought here to do. Birmingham have invested in me and I'm really privileged to be part of that. I'm here to become a better footballer and with their help and the gaffer's help I feel like I'm going in the right direction.”
