Birmingham City are at Wembley for the first time in 14 years, as they take on Peterborough United in the final of the Vertu Trophy.
Just five days on from sealing League One promotion at the Weston Homes Stadium, Chris Davies’ team face the same opponents as they strive for a league and cup double.
Nearly 50,000 Blues fans are expected at the match, which kicks-off at 3pm and which sees the existing holders take on a team that won the competition when they were last in it in 1995.
Barry Fry was the Blues manager that day but this afternoon he’ll have both feet firmly in the Posh camp as their long-standing director of football.
His successor, Davies has done an outstanding job in his first season as a manager and while he has been lavishly backed by the club’s owners, his team have barely missed a beat.
Picking that team will be a difficult task given Blues’ squad depth but whoever gets the nod will be looking to emulate the likes of John Gayle and Paul Tait as previous Wembley match-winners.
We’ll have our writing team of Brian Dick and Alex Dicken at Wembley bringing you all the build-up, action and reaction from what will – hopefully – be a silver-lined day. We want you to get involved too. Join in the debate down here in the comments section.
Key Events
Deeney: This could be a blessing in disguise
Aaron McLean: "Everyone in Birmingham was hoping this would be party day. Ultimately this was their last real game of the season. They've already won the championship, which you have to say is the main thing. The main target was getting back to the Championship. This is a little bit of a downer."
Troy Deeney: "It could be a blessing in disguise. Everything since the new ownership has come in has gone up and it's been on a massive trajectory. Sometimes you need a humbling experience and this might be that for them. If they had won this, won the league with 100 points, they could go into next season thinking they were going to get promoted. That's not how it works.
"Football has a way of humbling you and Birmingham and Birmingham City fans, myself included, have to take today and ask how we can build from it. This occasion wasn't good enough. They're all being spoken to now by the owner and they know they've lost by not putting in their best performance in. When you don't deliver the best version of yourself it's a long old evening. I think that's what Tom Wagner is saying to them, 'Remember this feeling, remember what it's like to lose, because that's what is going to carry you forward.'"
Deeney: Peterborough looked the more controlled
Troy Deeney: "It just felt to me that one team handled the occasion better. I've been in a situation here when you're expected to win. I was here with Watford against Crystal Palace in 2013, all of those years ago, and we came and we froze. Sometimes it's awful because you can't get those 100 minutes back, which you really want. Peterborough, in my opinion, looked the more controlled. I don't think that was their best game this season but it didn't have to be. They got the job done and every time they went forward they looked like they were going to score. It was an excellent performance."
Context
Birmingham City brought the League One title with them to Wembley and hoped to leave the famous old stadium with the Vertu Trophy and a double to emulate Barry Fry’s 1995 vintage.
Instead 50,000 Bluenoses departed with such disappointment at a missed opportunity that it was easy to forget that five days earlier they had completed Objective A and just 24 hours ago they had won the division without lifting another finger.
For all the suffocating sense of frustration the reality is that Chris Davies’ team handsomely exceeded Fry’s in the bread and butter of the league, winning it at a canter and surpassing every club record you care to name.
In the EFL Trophy they fell one game short, an underwhelming first half which featured two Peterborough goals that would have fittingly won the FA Cup, League Cup or Grand National, too much of an obstacle to overcome.
Blues’ record this season now stands at played 54, won 39, drawn nine, lost six. As difficult as this trip to Wembley has been, as bitterly regrettable as defeat No 6 has been, when things settle down it won’t obscure the wider campaign.
Full-time
Birmingham players showing their frustration as the final whistle goes. There's a lot of pushing and shoving. A disappointing end to a week when Birmingham have won promotion and the title, which, after all, is the real quiz.
It's all over
Peterborough United overcame Birmingham City at Wembley to prevent Chris Davies’ champions from completing a League One and Vertu Trophy double.
Two first half stunners from Harley Mills and Peterborough skipper Hector Kyprianou settled the Vertu Trophy final.
Blues were crowned League One champions on Saturday without playing, but it wasn’t to be a double celebration in the capital.
Check out the player ratings HERE
Not our day
Some have seen enough
'We've not seen the best of Birmingham City'
Courtney Sweetman-Kirk says on Sky: "It's not for want of trying, it's not for lack of effort, but the normal fluidity, the crisp passing, the dynamic movement we've seen in moments but it's not been the best of Birmingham City we've seen today."
Chris Davies getting frustrated
Last throw of the dice
Lukas Jutkiewicz is on. Ben Davies goes off. Last throw of the dice from Chris Davies.
The attendance is 71,722 at Wembley.
This save from Ryan Allsop
Blues goal ruled out
Jay Stansfield has the ball in the net but it's ruled out for offside. Replays show he was in fairness.
Better from Blues to get in behind Peterborough's back-line. Still six minutes to play of normal time.
Carter: the game is too raggedy
Darren Carter, on Radio WM duty, says: "The game is turning too raggedy for me and Peterborough are turning it over.
"The only way Blues are going to get back into the game is to move the ball quicker. They've just not asked enough questions of Peterborough."
Can Birmingham make Peterborough sweat?
Courtney Sweetman-Kirk, Sky Sports co-commentator says: "That stat (about late goals) will give them confidence and keep them going right until the end. Physically they look fitter than Peterborough United and they're having more of the ball, they're doing less running and they can put into the last moments of the game.
"Peterborough United have looked solid, they've not looked flat, but if Birmingham City score now there will be a pressure not just on the pitch but off it as well."
Marc Leonard is on
Third change for Blues sees Paik replaced by Marc Leonard. Paik has taken a knock but he walks off the pitch. 18 minutes plus stoppages to play.
Blues are still in this. Just.
Ryan Allsop has just kept Blues in the game with a brilliant save from Poku.
Jones got in behind and went down under a challenge from Paik and the ball fell to Poku but Allsop dived across to prevent a certain goal.
It looked as though Jones kicked through Paik more than anything. The referee waved away Peterborough's penalty appeals.
From Top Gun to Wembley
Actor Glen Powell watching the Vertu Trophy final at Wembley...
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) April 13, 2025
... your weekly reminder that the EFL is MASSIVE. pic.twitter.com/3e7kG1RJBO
TGH is on for Laird
Taylor Gardner-Hickman has replaced Laird at right-back for the final 26 minutes plus stoppages.
It's always a surprise to see Laird taken off but his end product hasn't quite been there today
Cometh the hour
Hopefully cometh the man. Though who that is I'd be unwilling to say.
Sixty minutes gone and Blues are still labouring. They really need to halve the deficit to create the kind of momentum swing that could overwhelm Peterborough.
The longer they wait, the harder it becomes. It's not feeling like they will at the moment.
Match action
Finally
Peterborough have been nipping and sniping at Blues all game, their fouls total has gone through the roof in this half - and finally it's come at the cost of a yellow card, as Abraham Odoh is cautioned for hauling down Laird. The Blues right back has had the run of things down that flank at times. He needs to make it count for something though.
A couple of chances for Blues
Stansfield has just driven a shot that was held by Steer and Anderson has blazed one over. Blues have started a bit better in this second half.
They are now shooting towards the West End, which is packed with Blues fans, and the volume has been ramped up.
Back underway - and May is on
Alfie May has come on for Willum Willumsson at half-time. Stansfield has moved to the left, Anderson to the right, with Dowell in the 10 behind May.
May has been in excellent form recently with four goals in his last four games. Blues need him to find the net here.
Was it a foul for first goal?
Troy Deeney: "Yeah, I think it's a foul. There's the slightest of touches but it doesn't take the ball away from him and he takes Poku down. Poku did really well. There's a slight touch but either way, it's a foul."
Aaron McLean: Peterborough haven't played particularly well...
Former Peterborough player Aaron McLean, on Sky duty, says: "I don't think Peterborough have had a particularly good first half, personally. In possession they have not been as fluent on the ball as they are used to being. Both of these teams top the metrics for passing and possession and they have both been poor in terms of looking after the ball - but what Peterborough have done really well is counter-attack. They've been positive when they've had turnovers and scored two brilliant goals."
HT: Blues 0-2 Peterborough
Goals from Mills and Kyprianou have Peterborough in control at Wembley as referee Ben Speedie blows his whistle for half-time.
Blues have been here before against Posh this season and came back to win. Big team talk for Chris Davies to get Blues firing in the second half.
Peterborough have a second
Peterborough have a second on the stroke of half-time. Kyprianou fires home from just inside the box after a cross from the left dropped kindly to him.
Mills escaped Blues' defenders down the left to cross and it was flicked at the near post into the path of the Peterborough skipper to slam home into the roof of the net.
Dowell booked
The Rangers loan man has left his foot in twice in the last two minutes, first trying to reach Paik's knockdown when he caught Collins. Then he's just stretched to reach a ball and caught Hector Kyprianou. The ref has seen enough and it's a yellow card.
Thinking time for Chris Davies
More moments
Laird wins a free kick on the corner of the box and byeline, it's not a great angle to do much more than what Dowell did with it, which was to whip in an inswinger at goal hoping for a touch. It was Posh who got the touch and headed if behind for a corner.
Thor then finds space to send Anderson running through the middle, for some reason the winger decides to play an impossible pass into Stansfield's run, it had opened up, he should have shot.
Blues are having opportunities but at the moment they're snatching at them.
