The story behind Birmingham City's iconic anthem that 43,000 will sing at Wembley | OneFootball

Keep Right On has become one of the most well-known club anthems in English football

There is a seemingly never-ending debate as to which club in the English football pyramid has the loudest and most-passionate fanbase, as well as the most iconic club anthem to supplement their support.

In the EFL, Birmingham City are one fanbase which would argue they rank at the top of both categories, even during times when clouds of uncertainty hung over St Andrew's, prior to the club's takeover in 2023.

Since then, supporters have returned to the club's traditional home, which underwent a £15m makeover last summer, in their droves, as the collective '12th man' in B9 has played a role - that hasn't been lost by manager Chris Davies - in Blues' successes on the pitch this season.

An average attendance of over 26,000 in League One, with the stadium so often packed to the rafters, has helped make the famous stadium a fortress, with a string of positive results on home turf beginning even prior to Birmingham's relegation last May.

Undoubtedly, though, the one way in which Bluenoses are known for their unwavering support is through their long-lasting and iconic anthem, 'Keep Right On', which can be heard right on the stroke of kick-off and multiple times throughout the 90 minutes.

With that in mind, FLW looks at how Blues' most famous chant came to prominence in this part of the Second City.

Keep Right On has been associated with Birmingham City since 1956

The song, which has inspired a near 70-year association with the West Midlands outfit, was fully titled 'Keep Right On To The End Of The Road', penned by Edinburgh-born singer, Sir Harry Lauder, initially on a railway carriage in 1924, with the song paying tribute to his late son, Captain John Currie Lauder, who was killed in World War One in Courcelette, France by a German sniper.

The song would officially be released in April 1926, 30 years before it was adopted by the club during their run to the 1956 FA Cup Final, in a season in which they also recorded their highest-ever league finish of sixth.

Scottish winger Alex Govan had been at St Andrew's for three years at this point following his £6,500 move from Plymouth Argyle in 1953, and was tasked with providing an anthem from north of the border by manager, Arthur Turner, as Blues prepared for an FA Cup quarter-final with Arsenal at Highbury.

"Going to Arsenal's stadium, the lads had been singing all these English tunes," Govan stated in a 1990 documentary called 'History of the Blues'. "And Arthur Turner, the manager, said give us one from Scotland, 'Ally'

"And I started singing 'Keep Right On To The End Of The Road'," he added.

"By the time we got to the stadium, the Blues supporters were all outside and the boys were still singing it. We'd sung it about three or four times (by) then, and it was getting very loud as we got to the stadium.

"The supporters took it from there," Govan concluded.

Blues defeated the Gunners 3-1 at Highbury before seeing off Sunderland in the semi-finals at Hillsborough, eventually losing 2-1 at Wembley to Man City. However, their association with the Scottish anthem had been born, before being slightly altered over the course of time, with supporters now known to sing the current version.

"As you go through life, it's a long, long road. There'll be joys and sorrows too.

"As we journey on, we will sing this song, for the boys in Royal Blue.

"We're often partizan, we will journey on.

"Keep Right On to the end of the road, Keep Right On to the end.

"Though the way be long, let your heart beat strong, Keep Right On to the end.

"Though you're tired and weary, still journey on, 'till you come to your happy abode.

"Where all the love you've been dreaming of, will be there. Where?

"At the end of the road. Birmingham! Birmingham!"

Over 43,000 Birmingham City supporters will belt out 'Keep Right On' at Wembley Stadium

As the song alludes to, Blues supporters have endured plenty of 'joys and sorrows' in what has been a chequered 150-year history to say the least.

However, some of the most notable cries of this anthem have come in major finals and big occasions, such as the EFL Cup final of 2011, where Obafemi Martins etched his name into folklore with his dramatic last-gasp strike against the Gunners, giving the club its first piece of major silverware since 1963.

Blues will soon be returning to North London on April 13th in the EFL Trophy final against Peterborough United, having seen off Bradford City in the semi-final courtesy of Lyndon Dykes' late header.

At a time when plans for a new 60,000-seater stadium continue to linger in the background, pointing towards an exciting future for the third tier club, 43,356 tickets in the East End of the National Stadium have all been snapped up more than two weeks in advance, as Birmingham go in search of their third success in this particular competition, having won it in 1991 and 1995.

For many supporters, this season has represented a sea change in terms of on and off-pitch matters at St Andrew's, despite it stretching to 60 games after also giving Fulham and Newcastle United strong tests in the EFL Cup and FA Cup respectively.