Lukas Jutkiewicz reveals his best Birmingham City moment ever | OneFootball

Jutkiewicz has seen it all at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park

The final season of Lukas Jutkiewicz's 19-year professional career has just drawn to a close, with the striker also ending a nine-year playing association with Birmingham City.

Despite featuring for no fewer than eight clubs currently residing in the EFL, 'The Juke' will be remembered the fondest by those who saw him stick by Blues during a dramatic period in the West Midlands outfit's history, although it would end on the highest of highs as Chris Davies' side accumulated a world-record breaking 111 points and EFL-high 34 wins as they obliterated League One.

The striker had already been at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park for eight years before signing a one-year contract extension following relegation to the Championship. And, following Birmingham's immediate return to the second-tier, will take up a post-retirement role within the club's inner-workings as Tom Wagner and Knighthead Capital Management look to continue a rapid rebuild in B9, with the aim of ending a long exile from the Premier League which has lasted since May 2011.

Despite being signed initially on loan by Gary Rowett in the Autumn of 2016, Jutkiewicz had first-hand experience of a stagnation which saw Blues finish 17th or lower in all of his eight seasons in the Championship, which culminated in relegation last term.

And, after rounding off his playing days in royal blue with a 2-1 victory over Cambridge United, the striker was asked to pick his favourite moment throughout a 357-game spell in the West Midlands, and he was to settle on one of the club's several final-day battles against the drop.

Lukas Jutkiewicz reflects on standout Birmingham City moment vs Fulham at St Andrew's

Many supporters will no doubt pick the 'limbs' which followed his final goal for the club in last month's emphatic 6-2 victory over Barnsley, following in an initially saved effort in front of the Tilton in the game's final moments as Davies' men took a giant stride towards their initial promotion.

However, speaking after this season came to a close, the 36-year-old looked back on a dramatic 3-1 win over promotion-chasing Fulham back in May 2018 as the encounter which stood out the most, as the side then-managed by Garry Monk secured their safety by five points on the final day of an arduous season that included three managers - the other two being Harry Redknapp and Steve Cotterill.

He would give Blues the lead against Slavisa Jokanovic's side on 15 minutes, tapping home a low ball from Wes Harding, before Harlee Dean gave the side breathing space with a header on 41 minutes.

Tom Cairney reduced the arrears with nine minutes to go, before a fine solo effort from Che Adams rounded off the scoring and maintained the club's second-tier status ahead of Barnsley, who were relegated on the same afternoon.

“The home game against Fulham at the end of the 17/18 season. At the time that was one where we had fought against a lot of adversity and the future looked brighter," he said.

"With the manager who had come in at the time, it felt like we were out of the woods and pushing towards something else – we didn’t know what was coming around the corner with points deductions and things.

“That sticks out in my head. I’ve had fantastic memories and met incredible people during my time here. The overriding feeling is that I’m grateful for it all," Jutkiewicz added.

Birmingham City will hope relegation fights are a thing of the past

Many hoped that Knighthead's takeover back in July 2023 would have ended the club's flirtation with the drop. However, this season has proved to be an ideal reset opportunity for the Second City outfit, who are riding the crest of a wave after winning the third-tier at a canter.

It has been argued that the nucleus of Davies' current squad has enough quality to firmly stand its ground in the Championship and give those relegated from the Premier League a scare, with recent reports stating that Blues and Wrexham will be targeting high-profile signings.

FLW exclusively revealed that a mammoth £30,000 per week offer for Peterborough United ace, Kwame Poku, could be put on the table to deter Rangers' interest, as well as talk of a reunion with Adams and permanent deals for current Ibrox loanees, Kieran Dowell and Ben Davies.

Therefore, if asked this question again in the years to come, Jutkiewicz, who is bound to still have a strong influence on proceedings, will hope his best moment in association with Birmingham is the opening game at the proposed