Jay Stansfield has already made his feelings known about Birmingham City

Jay Stansfield was moved to tears as he bid farewell to Birmingham City with a host of awards at the club’s end-of-season ceremony last spring. It was more than just his 13 goals, 12 of which came in the Championship – Stansfield’s versatility and adaptability was appreciated by his teammates, his work rate which was appreciated by his managers.

Stansfield was keen to impress and make an impact in the championship from the start and he certainly did when he secured a dramatic late winner with a fabulous finish on his debut. The opponent being Plymouth, as a native of Exeter, was also exciting for him. Stansfield was instantly respected by Blues fans and never looked back.

Despite his own best efforts, Stansfield could not fire the Blues into survival, but the bond he formed with the club and its supporters was an especially strong one. Now, reports have emerged that despite being relegated to League One, the Blues are exploring the possibility of bringing last season’s player of the year back to St Andrew’s.

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At the club’s end-of-season awards dinner, Stansfield confirmed how much fun he had in a Blues shirt despite relegation, and also predicted the club would quickly return to their place, barring disappointment falling so early. Knighthead’s extremely ambitious project.

“Walking up there and knowing that my teammates voted for me and the fans, I felt sad to leave,” Stansfield said. “It’s one of those things, I went on loan for a season and loved every minute and learned a lot. I think I just built such a relationship with the fans and the club that I wanted to give everything in every game. The early goal helped. I earned their respect on the first day and was able to show everyone why I chose Birmingham.

“In the end we fell short and everyone around the club feels hurt. I think the club will be back to where it belongs very soon. Hopefully next season they can continue. Being around town and seeing the fans and seeing how Everyone is welcoming and hard working, they are wonderful people all around here.

“We’ll see what happens (regarding his future). I’m going back to Fulham and I’m going to do my best there. This is my team right now and I have to take everything I’ve learned from here and go there. The blues will always have a place in my heart.

“As a young player, you have to take it one step at a time. I played in League One last season (2022-23) and I went back to Fulham and they wanted me to take on the next challenge, I went out and did that. I hope that when I come back now, they will see that I took on the next challenge and that I was able to perform at this level.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, I only had one season in the championship, but it’s something I dream of. Hopefully it will come to that one day, but I will take it one step at a time and continue to develop and learn.”

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