[4][5] After four months, during which the team won just twice and dropped to 20th place, three points outside the relegation zone with three matches remaining, Zola resigned, to be replaced by Harry Redknapp, initially to the end of the season.

Defenders Jonathan Grounds and Ryan Shotton appeared in 45 of the club's 49 fixtures over the season, and Lukas Jutkiewicz was top scorer with 12 goals, of which 11 were scored in league competition.

[13][14] Undisclosed fees were paid for Dundee's attacking player Greg Stewart,[15] young forward Che Adams from Sheffield United,[16] and Derby County defender Ryan Shotton, who had been on loan at Birmingham in 2015–16.

[17] The terms of Huddersfield Town striker James Vaughan's loan agreement required its conversion to a permanent contract, but he had not established himself as a first-team player and was allowed to leave.

[27] After a training camp in Spain,[28] Birmingham City's pre-season programme continued with friendly matches away to Midlands teams Solihull Moors, Forest Green Rovers, Shrewsbury Town, Walsall, Port Vale and Kidderminster Harriers, and Scottish Cup-holders Hibernian.

Birmingham's opening fixture, on a sunny afternoon at home to Cardiff City, was preceded by a minute's applause in memory of former player Alex Govan, who died during the close season.

[37] With all senior players available for selection,[38] the team lined up with Tomasz Kuszczak in goal, Jonathan Spector and Jonathan Grounds at full back, Michael Morrison (captain) and Ryan Shotton at centre back, David Davis alongside Stephen Gleeson in defensive midfield, Jacques Maghoma and David Cotterill as wide midfielders, and Diego Fabbrini in support of lone striker Clayton Donaldson.

The Press Association reported "no discernible improvement" in home form that had "cost them dearly last season", as Kuszczak made several saves to keep Cardiff at bay.

[39][40] After a midweek exit from the EFL Cup, Birmingham faced Leeds United at Elland Road with Maikel Kieftenbeld replacing Fabbrini in a more defensive lineup.

Kuszczak's error, allowing Hadi Sacko's weak shot to creep underneath him, equalised Maghoma's early goal, but after Leeds' defence failed to clear Grounds' cross, Morrison gave Birmingham a 2–1 win, their first in eight Championship matches.

Just 7 minutes after coming on as a substitute, Storer was sent off for headbutting an opponent;[43] while leaving the field, he kicked the advertising hoardings, suffering a foot injury that kept him out for longer than the three-match ban.

Rowett strengthened the midfield by bringing in Kieftenbeld and Robert Tesche – making his first league start since signing permanently[46] – in place of Cotterill and the injured Gleeson, and moving Davis to the right.

[48] After Kuszczak was injured while warming up before the match away to Reading, Adam Legzdins kept a clean sheet as Birmingham played out what the PA Sport reporter dubbed a "gritty" goalless draw.

[49] They relied on the "overworked" Legzdins to keep Sheffield Wednesday at bay until Gary Hooper scored for the visitors after 76 minutes, but the off-form Donaldson won and converted a penalty before substitute Jutkiewicz looped a header over the goalkeeper in stoppage time[50] – his first goal since he put Bolton Wanderers 2–0 up in the final match of the 2013–14 season, in which Birmingham were seconds away from relegation to League One[51] – to complete an unlikely victory.

[10] After Legzdins's "flying save" from Marvin Emnes stopped Birmingham falling behind to Blackburn Rovers, they finally took a chance when substitute Fabbrini fed Cotterill whose cross was "rammed ... into the roof of the net" by Gleeson.

[55] Away to Nottingham Forest, Legzdins kept his place in goal despite Kuszczak's return to fitness, and an injury to Spector prompted Rowett to break the Morrison–Shotton defensive pairing, moving the latter to right back and bringing Robinson into the centre.

After a strong performance on his first start, loanee left back Rhoys Wiggins' season was ended by a knee injury sustained in an accidental collision in stoppage time.

[59][60] Birmingham recovered from a weak first half and 1–0 down after an hour to draw away to third-placed Huddersfield Town when Grounds kept the ball in play to set up a chance for Jutkiewicz to score with a well-placed header.

Newcastle's superiority continued through the second half, Dwight Gayle completed a hat-trick, and the match ended 4–0; Birmingham's teenage debutant Corey O'Keeffe missed a good chance to mark his first appearance with a goal.

Kieftenbeld hit the post inside the first minute, Jutkiewicz gave Birmingham the lead early in the second half with an arcing header from Davis's cross, and the same player was denied by a "smart save".

Zola brought on Dacres-Cogley for Stewart, to strengthen the right side of defence and counteract Brighton's increasingly influential substitute, Solly March, and then replaced Gleeson, who had looked comfortable in the sitting midfielder role, with Tesche.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Robinson – on for Spector – fouled March to concede a free kick that led to a corner, from which Glenn Murray was left unmarked to head home the winner.

With both Morrison and Shotton unavailable through injury, Robinson and Grounds played at centre-back, with Nsue and Keita at full-back and Jerome Sinclair making his debut alongside Jutkiewicz.

[85] Without Davis, who began a two-match suspension for ten yellow cards, Birmingham recalled Adams to the starting eleven for the visit to Preston North End and gave Krystian Bielik his debut alongside Grounds at centre-back.

After half an hour, left wing-back Keita went off with concussion; at half-time, winger Frei came on for defender Dacres-Cogley, and Jack Storer made a late appearance in a deeper, midfield role.

Kieftenbeld's sharp reaction to Wolves' goalkeeper dropping the ball at his feet gave Birmingham a lead, which was doubled by Davis with a curled shot from the edge of the penalty area.

[88][89] Fourth-placed Leeds United's manager Garry Monk claimed to have not enjoyed the first hour of his team's visit to Birmingham, but Chris Wood scored twice to contribute to a 3–1 defeat for his former employers.

The consolation goal, after 85 minutes, came when Frei ran through Brighton's defence and slid the ball through to Maghoma in the penalty area; he backheeled it to Adams whose fierce shot was deflected past the goalkeeper.

[98] After 69 minutes, Adams did equalise, and it seemed as though Birmingham would hold on for the draw when, in stoppage time, Derby's goalkeeper hit a quick goal kick down the middle to Tom Ince who lobbed the advancing Kuszczak.

After Villa owner Tony Xia alerted the authorities to the incident via Twitter, Robinson was charged by the FA, who did not accept his argument that contact was accidental, and he received a three-match ban.