Birmingham City were the clear winners over Wolves in 2011, £4m deal | OneFootball

Roger Johnson endured a torrid time at Molineux after moving across the West Midlands

The summer of 2011 saw Birmingham City fall back into the Championship at the expense of local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers.

After two consecutive seasons back in the Premier League, Blues' relegation back to the second tier under the management of Alex McLeish was confirmed due to a 4-2 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the season, with Wolves one of the beneficiaries of both Birmingham and Blackpool's misfortune, escaping the drop despite a 3-2 defeat to Blackburn Rovers at Molineux.

The side who defeated Arsenal at Wembley in the EFL Cup Final just two-and-a-half months previous would undergo a major transition as McLeish also departed in the off-season, joining bitter rivals Aston Villa, whilst Chris Hughton took over the reins at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Despite Blues' relegation, Roger Johnson was one figure in Royal Blue, who, alongside Scott Dann, formed a largely strong partnership at the heart of the defence.

But, despite the fact that Wolves would cough up a £4m fee for the Ashford-born defender, giving Birmingham a loss on their initial 2009 investment from Cardiff City, the Second City outfit would emerge the winners in this particular agreement as Johnson would fail to reach the same heights again during his career.

After a successful stint with the Bluebirds between 2006 and 2009, in which he was named Player of the Year twice and made an appearance in the FA Cup Final against Portsmouth in 2008, Johnson made his first step into the Premier League in B9 after Birmingham paid a sum of £5m for his services on a three-year contract.

His influence alongside Dann was proven immediately, as the duo were an integral reason behind a record of eight clean sheets in the first half of the season, which saw the Times' Patrick Barclay describe them as the "Players of the Season thus far."

Blues would go on to record a 12-game unbeaten streak between October 2009 and January 2010, which was a key facet behind an eventual ninth-place finish - the club's strongest league placement since 1959.

Three games into the following season, Johnson would score his first goal for the club in an away draw with Bolton Wanderers.

A continuation of his strong defensive displays then led the former Scotland boss, McLeish, into talking the defender up when it came to a potential England call-up, stating: "I am not telling Fabio Capello his job but I just think our boy deserves a shout."

Despite Birmingham's overall lack of consistency in the months that followed, Johnson then found himself the scorer of two big goals.

He would net in the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa in January 2011, before playing his part in the dramatic turnaround against West Ham United in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final, with his 79th-minute header tying the aggregate score, before Craig Gardner's eventual winner.

The defender would also assist Nikola Zigic's opener in the final against the Gunners on 27 minutes, as Blues went on to seal their first major trophy since 1963.

However, Birmingham were relegated after a major slump which saw them record just two wins in the last 12 games, with Johnson's final game for the club coming in the fateful defeat at White Hart Lane.

Roger Johnson's time at Molineux proved to be a disaster

The then 28-year-old swapped the Second City for the Black Country in July 2011, stating that Wolves' status in the top flight was a key reason behind the move.

"We're halfway there," Johnson said prior to the completion of negotiations. "It wasn't an easy decision. I enjoyed my time at Birmingham but relegation half made the decision for me."

The new signing was immediately made captain by Mick McCarthy in replacement of Karl Henry, and initially made a strong start in the Old Gold and Black as Wanderers took seven points from the first three games, keeping two clean sheets in the process.

However, a run of just three victories between September and February saw Wolves rooted to the bottom of the table, with the final straw for McCarthy being a 5-1 defeat in the Black Country Derby against West Bromwich Albion.

Johnson would then make just two further appearances as captain under interim boss Terry Connor, as he was demoted to the bench for 11 of the final 13 games of the season and Wolves were relegated from the Premier League.

New boss Stale Solbakken then returned the armband to the aforementioned Henry after the drop, despite the fact Johnson started in all 26 of the Norwegian's league games in charge of the club, including a dramatic equaliser in a 3-3 draw with Brighton in November 2012, with his individual form showing relative signs of improvement.

He would then salvage a point in Dean Saunders' first game in charge against Blackburn Rovers, before receiving a 92nd-minute red card against Blackpool just weeks later.

Johnson would then start in the final 13 games, which were definitely unlucky for Wanderers as they were condemned to back-to-back relegations with a 2-0 defeat at Brighton on the final day of the season, in what proved to be Johnson's final competitive appearance for the club.

New boss Kenny Jackett then named Johnson as part of a four-player 'bomb squad' alongside Henry, Jamie O'Hara, and Stephen Ward, and was subsequently loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday in the first half of the season, where he would make 17 starts.

A bizarre temporary Premier League return arose under Sam Allardyce at West Ham, and the defender would make six appearances for the Hammers, which included appearances in both legs of the 9-0 aggregate defeat to Manchester City in the EFL Cup semi-finals.

Johnson returned to Molineux afterwards but was still left out of Jackett's first-team plans, eventually revealing that the only benefit to staying under contract at the club was the collection of a reported £25,000 per week wage.

The West Midlands side would eventually terminate his contract four months before its expiration in February 2015, with the defender going nigh on two years without an appearance for the club.

Johnson would then wind down his career with spells at Charlton Athletic, Pune City and Bromley, before taking a venture into management with Brackley Town.

However, it is clear that the pinnacle of his career was the two-season stint in the Premier League with Birmingham, making them the clear winners over their Midlands rivals, who only saw the same standard of player on a few occasions.