Blues relegated on the final day, three months after Wembley

Birmingham City have been relegated from the Premier League, just three months after winning the League Cup at Wembley.

Blues lost 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on the final day of the season, 22 May, and results elsewhere meant they dropped into the bottom three. They will play in the Championship next season.

A dramatic final day

Going into the last round of matches, several clubs were still fighting to avoid the two relegation places left alongside West Ham United, who had already gone down. Birmingham needed a result at Tottenham, but a late winner for the home side sent them down, and wins for other strugglers left them with no escape.

Blackpool were also relegated on the final day.

From Wembley to the Championship

The relegation is a cruel end to a season that brought the club's first major trophy since 1963. In February, Blues beat Arsenal 2-1 in the League Cup final, with Obafemi Martins scoring a late winner, and earned a place in next season's Europa League.

But their league form suffered, with injuries mounting and results falling away in the final months. A run to the FA Cup quarter-finals, where they lost to Bolton, added to a heavy fixture list.

Europe in the Championship

Birmingham will now be in the unusual position of playing European football while in the second tier of English football. Their Europa League campaign will begin in the summer.

Financial worries

Relegation will mean a big fall in income from television money, and there are fears that the club will have to sell some of its best players. Several players are likely to attract interest from Premier League clubs.

The club is owned by Carson Yeung, a Hong Kong businessman who took over in 2009.

McLeish's future

Manager Alex McLeish, who has now been relegated twice with the club, will face questions about his future, although he led the team back to the Premier League at the first attempt after the previous relegation in 2008, and to a ninth-place finish last season.

Villa survive

There was better news for their neighbours Aston Villa, who finished in mid-table after a difficult season under Gerard Houllier, who has been in hospital with heart problems. It means there will be no Second City derby in the league next season.

What next

For Blues supporters, the season will be remembered for the glory of Wembley and the pain of relegation. The priority now will be to keep the squad together and mount a challenge for an immediate return to the Premier League, while enjoying the adventure of European football.