The late 1990s and early 2000s were a period of enjoyment and relative success for Birmingham City Football Club. After escaping the doldrums of the third tier under Barry Fry in 1995, Fry was succeeded by Trevor Francis, the club’s greatest ever player, a year later.
Under Francis’s guidance, Birmingham City experienced three consecutive seasons of improvement at St Andrew’s. The club moved from a 15th-place finish to an impressive 4th-place finish by the end of the 1998/99 season. Unfortunately, their bid to end a 14-year absence from the top flight was thwarted by a penalty shootout loss to Watford.
In the years that followed, Birmingham City experienced many of the joys and sorrows referenced in the club’s famous ‘Keep Right On’ anthem. During this time, Francis assembled a squad that would feature several future cult heroes in the Second City. One notable addition to this squad arrived in the summer of 1999.
The arrival of Stan Lazaridis at Birmingham City
That’s when Australian winger Stan Lazaridis joined the club for a reported £1.7 million fee from West Ham United, with the Hammers making a significant profit on their original £300,000 investment to bring the Perth-born winger to East London four summers earlier.
In his first season at Birmingham City, Lazaridis made 31 appearances and scored two goals in what is now the Championship. Despite his contributions, Francis’s team couldn’t overcome their play-off curse, losing 5-2 on aggregate to Barnsley in the semi-finals.
The following season saw Birmingham City reach the EFL Cup Final against Liverpool. Lazaridis made six appearances in the competition, including the penalty shootout defeat in Cardiff. Despite this cup run, the club’s league campaign mirrored the previous season’s performance. Unfortunately, Birmingham faced play-off heartbreak once again, losing to Preston North End in the semi-finals.
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