Birmingham City secured their Championship status on the final day for a third time in five seasons, after a 3-1 win over Fulham.
The significance of that victory should not be underestimated. The visitors have taken 69 points from their last 30 games, scoring a remarkable 61 goals, a run which propelled them from 17thto automatic promotion contention.
Cardiff’s 0-0 draw at home to Reading meant Slavisa Jokanovic’s men would have made the top two with a victory, but they lacked the physical and mental strength to record it.
While the West Londoners tried to implement their usual short passing game, a lack of movement from the front three of Lucas Piazon, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ryan Sessegnon meant they rarely broke into the final third in the first half, with Maikel Kieftenbeld and David Davis doing a fine job of screening the defence.
The duo used their power and commitment to steal the ball and Fulham often responded sloppily to losing possession, which allowed Birmingham to break with intent.
Academy graduate Wes Harding, whose sheer athleticism allowed him to dominate Ryan Sessegnon from right-back, delivered an excellent near-post cross for Lukasz Jutkiewicz to drill home.
The target man could have had a hat-trick had he converted two other chances that the speedy Jacques Maghoma supplied, but Birmingham got their second through Harlee Dean, who headed home Jota’s cross.
Powerful forward Aboubakar Kamara’s half-time introduction catalysed a spell of semi-pressure from Fulham, who forced Birmingham deeper in the second half, but central areas remained condensed due to the underperformance of their full-backs.
Left-back Matt Targett is normally a pinpoint crosser and right-back Ryan Fredericks, a direct runner, but neither did themselves justice here, although Tom Cairney reduced the deficit on 84 minutes with a scruffy close-range header.
However, the arrival of mobile forward Che Adams had given Birmingham more of a counter-attacking threat and the ex-Sheffield United man restored the two-goal cushion, cutting inside to curl past Marcus Bettinelli.
His goal compounded a disappointing afternoon for Fulham who, so often able to win games without needing to match the battling qualities of their opponents, appeared flummoxed by both the pressure of their situation and the intensity of the contest.
Blues boss Garry Monk, by contrast, looked tunnel-visioned throughout. It was palpable when fans showed support for him, he continued to watch only his players, waiting to reciprocate that affection after survival was secure. That mentality highlights a cool-headed man, committed entirely to product over politics.
For Blues, this final day survival completes only a fraction of the re-building process that lies ahead; but in Monk, they might just have found the right man to guide them through it.
