3 former Birmingham City players available for free after harsh decision by ex-Blues coach

One former Birmingham City manager is ending a Blues reunion at a relegated League Two club.

Three former Birmingham City players have become free agents after being released by a demoted League Two team.

David Davis, Dom Bernard, and Reece Brown were all on St Andrew’s books at various points in their careers but ended up playing for Forest Green Rovers this season. The three failed to keep FGR’s seven-year Football League status, and the club was relegated to the National League under former Birmingham manager Steve Cotterill. Troy Deeney also led Forest Green for a brief period of the campaign before being replaced.

Bernard began his career with Birmingham at the age of twelve. He was captain of the under-18 team and was offered a professional contract by the club, however he left in 2019 after never making a single game for them. The 27-year-old recovered by joining Forest Green after a successful loan spell at Aldershot Town, and he went on to make just shy of 200 appearances in five seasons.

Davis appeared in the most Birmingham games of the three players. The Smethwick-born midfielder was with the club from 2014 to 2021, and he was six outings away from reaching 200. He appeared 194 times, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists.

Davis joined Shrewsbury Town after being released by Birmingham in 2021, where he remained one season before heading to Forest Green. This season, he made no appearances for Gloucestershire.

Reece Brown, a central midfielder, began his career at Birmingham. He played with the academy from the age of 10 in 2006 till his departure in 2017. Brown made 20 appearances for the club, debuting in 2013 and leaving for Forest Green Rovers in 2017. He spent two years there before joining Huddersfield Town, and after three loan spells at Peterborough United, he returned to Forest Green for his first season in the third tier.

The club said goodbye to all three with the following statement: “Forest Green would like to thank all of the players for their hard work, with special mention to Dom Bernard and Matty Stevens, who helped the club earn promotion to League One in 2021-2022. We wish every player the best of luck in the future.”