A points deduction saw Birmingham City finish down in 17th in the Championship this year in what was a decent enough season on the field for the Blues.

In what was something of a bounce-back season for the club under Garry Monk, they put in some excellent performances at times and showed the battling qualities which suggest they might well do well next term.

The Blues were tough to beat at St Andrews and Monk seemed to get the fans on board with what was going on at the club, ensuring everyone was pulling together in the same direction in terms of what he could affect at the club.

Indeed, the summer is going to be an interesting one for the Blues, with some of their top talent coming under the microscope in terms of being snapped up by other clubs, and Monk also looking to add some quality to the ranks.

However, Monk will of course reflect at times on the 18/19 campaign, much like we have here at FLW.

With that then, we've looked at THREE things we learnt about Birmingham during the 18/19 season...

Monk is definitely the right man at the moment

He's been controversial in the past and often frowned upon by some in terms of being the real deal, but make no mistake, Monk is right for Birmingham at this moment in time.

He's got the fans pulling together, and with a few tweaks to the squad, he could well have them challenging for the top six next season.

Che Adams is destined for the top

Unfortunately for Birmingham, keeping hold of their best player in Che Adams looks like being a battle they cannot win.

Adams smashed in over 20 goals to cement his place as one of the game's top young strikers, and Premier League clubs will no doubt be sniffing round the former Sheffield United man come the summer.

There's enough there for the Blues to challenge

On paper at the moment, there doesn't seem to be a standout team anyone can pick out as a massive favourite heading into next season.

This bodes well for the Blues, who have a solid base to build a good Championship team under Monk.

Despite potentially losing Adams, if they can keep hold of key men like Jutkiewicz, Jota and Harlee Dean, then they might well just surprise a few going into the 19/20 season.