Ipswich still face work ahead, according to McKenna, following the late equalizer by Birmingham
Birmingham City Maintains Unbeaten Home Streak in Draw Against Ipswich Town
In the opening match of the 2025-26 Championship season, Birmingham City and Ipswich Town played out a draw, extending Birmingham City's unbeaten home streak to an impressive 26 matches.
Kieran McKenna, Ipswich Town's manager, admitted that his team did not impose themselves during the match, while Chris Davies, Birmingham City's boss, saw many positives in his team's performance and believed they were the better side throughout the game.
The first half of the contest was a closely fought battle, with both teams creating chances. However, Kyogo Furuhashi's goal for Ipswich Town was ruled out early in the game, and the score remained 0-0 at the break.
In the 55th minute, Jay Stansfield scored a deserved goal for Birmingham City, giving them a 1-0 lead. McKenna identified areas for improvement within his squad, acknowledging that his team needed to do the right things to play much better in the future.
Birmingham City did not let Ipswich Town settle during the match, and were really organised and switched-on. Despite McKenna's efforts, Ipswich Town struggled to create many clear-cut chances, with the visitors recording 7 shots, resulting in an expected goals (xG) metric of 1.31.
In the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, George Hirst scored a penalty for Ipswich Town, levelling the score at 1-1. Chris Davies was disappointed with the late penalty and the resulting draw, but remained optimistic that over the course of the season, his team will get decisions like the penalty back their way.
Birmingham City registered 11 shots in the match, resulting in an expected goals (xG) metric of 1.38, highlighting their dominance in the game. The draw ensured Ipswich Town did not start their 2025-26 campaign with a defeat.
It is worth noting that Birmingham City currently has an unbeaten home game streak of 26 matches, consisting of 21 wins and 5 draws at their home ground, St. Andrew's. This streak extends through the start of the 2025/26 season, including a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town on August 9, 2025, which continued their unbeaten home league record.
The last five league matches between Ipswich Town and Birmingham City have resulted in four draws, with the exception of a 3-1 win for Ipswich Town in February 2024. Birmingham City's longest unbeaten home run was between October 1970 and April 1972, where they went 36 games without a loss at home.
Despite the draw, both managers expressed satisfaction with their team's performance, and will be looking to build on this result in their upcoming matches. The Championship season is just getting underway, and both Birmingham City and Ipswich Town will be aiming to challenge for a place in the Premier League next season.
sports: The match between Birmingham City and Ipswich Town in the 2025-26 Championship season was a significant sports event, showcasing intense competition.
football: Chris Davies, Birmingham City's boss, saw many positives in his team's performance, believing they were the better side throughout the game, playing a style of football that dominated their opponents.
