Birmingham can reach Premier League next season - Fry

Barry Fry applauds fans at the end of Peterborough United's defeat by Birmingham City

Barry Fry has backed Birmingham City to pull off consecutive promotions and return to the Premier League for the first time since 2011.

The Peterborough United football director watched from the stands as the club he managed to the third tier title and Football League Trophy double in 1995 clinched promotion back to the Championship with a 2-1 win at London Road.

Despite his own team's defeat, Fry declared himself delighted at Birmingham's success after relegation last season followed years of uncertainty and instability.

The Blues' dominant season ensures they return to the Championship at the first time of asking after new owners Knighthead invested heavily in the squad.

And with a new Premier League-standard 60,000 stadium in the pipeline, just a mile from their current home at St Andrew's, Fry says the revival is ongoing.

"Birmingham City are the best team in the division by a mile," he told BBC Radio WM.

"They're the richest club, they've got a fanbase that everybody would die for, and they have an owner that gives them financial stability now.

"The recruitment they've done, especially with their manager Chris Davies, is absolutely top drawer.

Birmingham players celebrate promotion after victory at Peterborough United on Tuesday

"I tip them to go again, back-to-back promotions, that's how ambitious they are.

"The stadium at St Andrew's isn't big enough to get all the Bluenoses in - that's why the owner is building a new one."

Last season, Ipswich Town became the first club since Southampton in 2011-12 to go from the third tier to the first in successive seasons.

Knighthead funded a squad thought to be the most expensive in the history of English football's third tier, headed by smashing the League One transfer record to sign striker Jay Stansfield from Premier League side Fulham for an eight-figure fee.

That eclipsed the £4m Sunderland paid Wigan Athletic for Will Grigg in 2019.

Fees of around £4m for both centre-back Christoph Klarer and attacking midfielder Willum Thor Willumsson were also signed off as Birmingham spent around £25m on 17 new players.

That splurge has paid off hugely, with Blues securing promotion with six games to spare and also booking a Wembley date against Peterborough in the final of the EFL Trophy on Sunday.

After a shaky start to their tenure, when they sacked John Eustace with Birmingham sixth in the Championship and appointed Wayne Rooney - who was sacked after Blues plummeted down the table and into a relegation battle they ultimately lost - Knighthead have won over the fans by backing their commitment with hard cash.

Fry, who turned 80 this week and is still celebrated by Blues fans, said he was pleased to see the upturn in fortunes at his old club.

He added: "I'm so happy for the Bluenoses, because they've been in turmoil for so, so long, not knowing who the owner is, or where their club is going, but they've 'kept right on', as the song says. Brilliant fans."