THE GROUND
St Andrew’s Stadium
Birmingham
B9 4RL
St Andrew’s opened in 1906 to host a Small Heath side that had outgrown their previous Coventry Road home.
Before Birmingham became Birmingham City in 1943, having started out as Small Heath Alliance and then Small Heath, St Andrew’s would host crowds in excess of 65,000 but by the mid-1990s the ground was in a state of disrepair.
It was modernised at the end of the last century and now has a capacity of just over 30,000.
Away fans are usually housed in a section of the lower tier of The Gil Merrick Stand and ticket allocation is usually around 3,000.
THE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
It is approximately 113 miles from Griffin Park to St Andrew’s by road.
The most common route is using the M40, M42 and A34.
From the A34 take the A5450, Birmingham Ring Road, heading north and the ground is close to the Bordesley Circus roundabout.
There is some street parking in the vicinity and a small car park next to the entrance for away supporters.
The nearest station is Bordesley, which is around half a mile while Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham New Street are just over a mile away.
London Midland trains stop at Bordesley when Birmingham are at home and this will involve changing at Birmingham Moor Street.
Chiltern Railways services from London Marylebone go to Birmingham Moor Street while Birmingham New Street is served by Virgin Trains and London Midland services from London Euston and CrossCountry services from Reading.
The Supporters’ Association will be running coaches to every game this season – details of times and prices will be announced in due course.
THE FIXTURES
Brentford will play Birmingham City at Griffin Park on Saturday August 23, the second home game of the season.
The Bees then travel to St Andrew’s on Saturday February 28.
THE RECENT HISTORY
Birmingham City came within a whisker of dropping out of The Championship last season.
On the final day of the season they needed to get a point from their game away to Bolton Wanderers and hope Doncaster Rovers lost to Leicester City.
While Leicester did their bit, Birmingham trailed 2-1 until Paul Caddis scored in the 93rd minute to give The Blues a point and keep them in the second tier.
Narrowly avoiding the drop prevented further decline for The Blues.
Before relegation in 2011, Birmingham had spent seven of the previous nine seasons in the Premier League.
They managed top half finishes in 2004 and 2009 and won the Carling Cup in 2011.
But they were also relegated in 2011 and missed out on promotion the following year, losing to Blackpool in the Play-Offs.
In 2012/13 they finished 12th but last season was a struggle.
The Blues were never able to get going, winning one of their first seven games, and although they were unbeaten in ten at the end of 2013, their home form was very poor.
Birmingham won just two home games in 2013/14, both in the space of ten days in September and October 2013.
In the end, they got the point required at Bolton to stay up on goal difference but The Blues will want better in 2014/15.
THE MANAGER
Lee Clark is about to start his third season as manager of Birmingham City.
The 41-year-old, who won 11 England under-21 caps, played more than 200 leagues games for Newcastle United, many of them in the top flight, and also appeared for Sunderland and Fulham during a 16 year professional career.
He moved in to coaching in 2006 while still playing and managed Newcastle’s reserve side before and after his retirement in 2007 before Glenn Roeder took him to Norwich in November 2007.
Clark took over as Huddersfield Town manager in December 2008, leaving his position as Roeder’s assistant at Norwich.
He spent three and a half years at Huddersfield, keeping them at the top of League One without being able to get them promoted.
The Yorkshire side lost in the Play-Off Semi-Finals, to Millwall, in 2010 and in the Final to Sheffield United, in a mammoth penalty shoot-out, a year later.
He oversaw a 43-game unbeaten run in League One, a Football League record, but was sacked in February 2012 and arrived at Birmingham a few months later.
THE TOP SCORER
Lee Novak scored 11 goals in all competitions for Birmingham City last season.
The 25-year-old was plucked from non-league football by Birmingham manager Lee Clark when he was at Huddersfield.
Novak was then reunited with his old boss last summer and scored 11 goals in his first year at St Andrew’s, nine of them in The Championship.
The striker had previously played for Newcastle Blue Star, Gretna and Gateshead.
Federico Macheda, who spent a spell on loan at Birmingham from Manchester United, scored ten league goals for The Blues.
THE KEY MEN
Birmingham used 41 players in all competitions last season, including many on short-term loan contracts.
Only six players started more than 30 Championship matches.
Top-scorer Novak and goalkeeper Darren Randolph, who was ever-present, were two of them.
Midfield player Chris Burke featured in 44 matches, scoring seven goals while former Brentford loanee Tom Adeyemi played 35 games.
Defender Paul Caddis was involved in 38 games, including the crucial one at Bolton, while Player of the Year, and captain, Paul Robinson played 40 in defence.
Other players involved regularly were Dan Burn, a central defender on loan from Fulham, and striker Nikola Žigić, who scored seven Championship goals in 33 appearances, 22 of which were starts.
Burn returned to Fulham and Burke and Žigić look set to turn down contract offers but Novak, Randolph, Adeyemi and Caddis will be at Birmingham in 2014/15.
Defender Jonathan Grounds has joined The Blues from Oldham Athletic and Grant Hall has been signed from Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan deal.
Also arriving this summer are midfield player Stephen Gleeson, from Milton Keynes Dons, striker Wes Thomas, formerly of Rotherham United, defender David Edgar, who left Burnley this summer, centre half Gavin Gunning, from Dundee United, and winger Mark Duffy, who has just left Doncaster.
THE FIRST MEETING
November 9 1935, Football League Division One – Birmingham 2 Brentford 1
Brentford line-up: Mathieson; Astley, Poyser; McKenzie, James, Watson; Hopkins, Robson, Dunn, Burns, Fletcher
Brentford goal scorer: Dunn
Brentford continued their slow start to life in the top tier with defeat at St Andrew’s
THE LAST MEETING
October 26 2010, Carling Cup Fourth Round – Birmingham City 1 Brentford 1 (Birmingham won 4-3 on penalties)
Brentford line-up: Lee; Spillane, Osborne, Legge, Woodman; Wood, Bean, O'Connor, Weston (sub Simpson); MacDonald (sub Hunt), Alexander (sub Grabban)
Subs (not used): Royce, McCracken, Balkestein, Diagouraga
Brentford goal scorer: Wood
Brentford bowed out of the Carling Cup on penalties against Birmingham City after being two minutes from glory.
THE MEMORABLE DAY
April 26 1995, Endsleigh League Division Two – Birmingham City 2 Brentford 0
Brentford line-up: Dearden; Statham, Bates, Ashby, Grainger; Mundee, Smith, Ratcliffe (sub Abrahams), Stephenson; Taylor, Forster
Subs (not used): Hutchings, Fernandes
Brentford lose title decider at St Andrew’s.
THE ODDS
Sky Bet is offering 40/1 on Birmingham City winning The Championship next season.
Those who back The Blues can get ¼ of the odds if they finish in the top three.
Every bet you make with Sky Bet benefits Brentford FC – click here to see the Championship market.