Birmingham City battled back to draw 2-2 against Blackburn Rovers in midweek, securing a point which guarantees their place in the Championship next season courtesy of Demarai Gray’s second goal in as many matches.

Confirmation of survival will be a welcome relief for Blues fans after the dramatic final-day survival act of 2013/14, which saw a 93rd minute goal from Paul Caddis stave off relegation to League One.

With four games remaining, Birmingham can still rise as high as ninth in the table, whilst a dramatic slump in form could see them place 21st for the second successive year.

Their improvement on last season can be attributed somewhat to the appointment of Gary Rowett, the current City manager who took over from Lee Clark in October – a week after an 8-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth.

Under the former Burton Albion boss, the Blues have averaged 1.54 points per game (compared to the 1.29 without him), form that would have placed them ninth had he been in charge all season.

Despite the positive signs of Rowett’s management, Birmingham have struggled on the road this season, winning just four from 20 – the last of which came back on December 28 at Nottingham Forest.

Their away form has seen them take one point from their last five matches, whilst only recording one victory against any side in the top 15 of the table all season – 3-1 against Nottingham Forest.

Birmingham have been reliant on their home performances to carry them up the table, with 63 per cent of their points garnered in front of the St Andrews’ crowd.

With three of their remaining four fixtures coming away from home, the Blues will be keen to improve on that record with ties against Reading and Bolton Wanderers before the season’s end.

Clayton Donaldson netted a brace when the Hornets travelled to St Andrews, scoring one early and one late in a 2-1 victory in November – Rowett’s first victory following his appointment.

Former Brentford striker Donaldson, who joined from the League One runners-up in the summer, currently leads the goalscoring charts with 14; David Cotterill trailing him with nine.

However, despite their success over Watford, Birmingham have not fared well against top six opposition this season, with that victory their only against any team in the top six places, a record which reads one win, five draws and five losses.

In addition, an early goal for Watford in the tie could see Birmingham break the 1,000 minute mark for time spent behind in Championship matches (currently standing at 914 mins) – an unwanted milestone for the Blues.

Birmingham City starting XI vs Blackburn Rovers (14/5/15): Randolph; Caddis, Kiernan, Morrison, Grounds; Tesche, Gleeson; Cotterill, Fabbrini, Gray; Donaldson (4-2-3-1).