Birmingham City pull off transfer masterstroke with ex-Celtic signing

Birmingham City’s drop into League One in 2024 may have shocked supporters, but for many, it felt like a decline that had been building for years.

After spending more than a decade in the Championship, the Blues repeatedly flirted with relegation, narrowly avoiding disaster on several occasions. Aside from a play-off push in their first season back in the second tier and a pair of respectable 10th-place finishes, Birmingham rarely threatened to challenge near the top end of the table between 2011 and 2024.

However, their Championship survival almost came to an abrupt end long before relegation finally arrived.

Heading into the final day of the 2013/14 season, Birmingham faced a daunting task. A point away to Bolton Wanderers was required to stay up, while results elsewhere also needed to fall in their favour.

As the match ticked towards full-time at the Reebok Stadium, survival appeared to be slipping away. Birmingham trailed and looked destined for League One — until a dramatic late turnaround changed everything.

After Nikola Zigic sparked hope with a crucial goal, defender Paul Caddis rose to the occasion with a dramatic equaliser that secured Birmingham’s Championship status and sparked wild celebrations among travelling supporters.

That unforgettable moment alone arguably justified the modest £150,000 fee Birmingham had paid to sign the former Celtic academy graduate from Swindon Town the previous summer.

Yet Caddis’ influence at St Andrew’s extended far beyond one dramatic header.

The Scottish full-back initially arrived in English football with Swindon Town in 2010 after progressing through Celtic’s youth system. His early days in Wiltshire proved difficult, with relegation from League One in his first campaign.

However, he quickly rebuilt his reputation, captaining Swindon to the League Two title and establishing himself as one of the club’s key figures. A fallout with manager Paulo Di Canio eventually opened the door for a move elsewhere, paving the way for Birmingham to bring him in on loan during the 2012/13 season.

Caddis impressed enough during that spell to convince the Blues to make the deal permanent, and he soon became an integral member of the squad.

Under Lee Clark and later Gary Rowett, the right-back developed into one of Birmingham’s most dependable performers. He regularly wore the captain’s armband and played a leading role as the club steadied itself in the Championship following years of instability.

During back-to-back 10th-place finishes, Caddis became a near ever-present in the starting lineup, contributing both defensively and offensively with important goals and assists.

Across four seasons, he made 160 appearances and contributed significantly in attacking areas — an impressive return for a defender.

Despite his importance to the side, his Birmingham career came to an unexpectedly disappointing end.

Fitness concerns saw Gary Rowett temporarily remove him from the first-team picture, and a shoulder injury further disrupted his progress. By the time he returned, Rowett had departed and Gianfranco Zola had taken charge.

The Italian manager opted against reintegrating Caddis into his plans, leading to a mutual contract termination in January 2017.

In hindsight, Birmingham struggled to replicate the relative stability enjoyed during Caddis’ years at the club. The Blues failed to better the top-half finishes achieved during his spell until Chris Davies guided the side forward in the 2025/26 campaign.

For many supporters, Caddis remains one of the most underrated figures of Birmingham’s modern era — a player who arrived with little fanfare but delivered one of the club’s most iconic survival moments and became a key leader during some turbulent years at St Andrew’s.