Birmingham City fanatic Keith Dixon recalls when the blues, then known as small heath, kicked off their football life

When Birmingham City travelled to Deepdale in early September to play a Championship game against Preston North End, they celebrated the 130th anniversary of their first ever Football League fixture.
The game saw a 5-1 victory for Small Heath (Birmingham’s name until 1905) over Burslem Port Vale at Muntz Street (Birmingham’s ground before moving to St Andrew’s in 1906).
In many ways, it set the tone for the way Blues’ history would unfold over the next 130 years – all things...