Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell (Image: PA)
Birmingham City are back winning again and League One managers are once again repeating the mantra that became the back-drop to the start of the 2024/25 campaign.
After watching his side summarily dismissed by Blues at St James Park, Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell added his name to the long list of his third tier counterparts tipping them for the top.
Caldwell’s team had one shot on target – and had to wait 89 minutes for that – against a Blues side focused on making amends for their slip at Shrewsbury Town three days earlier.
Blues didn’t tear Exeter apart but they suffocated them and earned Caldwell’s admiration in the process.
He said: "I said it before the game and I am even more convinced now that Birmingham will win the league. They have so much quality, strength, speed, power and not just on the park, but on the bench and probably left back in Birmingham as well.
"It was always going to be a difficult night, but I thought the players gave everything. We were in the game for a long period, but I would like us to be better in certain moments and that for me is what we have to focus on – the performance level and what we have to do to be a better team.
"We won't play teams like Birmingham every week, but that is the benchmark for this level now and we have to keep working hard to improve and try and close that gap. Out of possession we contained them but you see the quality all over the pitch.
“I said before they’d win the league and I am even more convinced after seeing them live, they are going to win the league and by a long way in my opinion. We have lots of lessons to learn, they are a Championship team in the making and potentially even more than that.
“They are like Ipswich, on that kind of level. They were by far the better team on the night but we have to look at our performance levels and improve to get what we want from the season.”
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