Rory Delap: Birmingham can achieve promotion; Wrexham should avoid relegation

Former Championship midfielder Rory Delap has told William Hill that he believes Birmingham will be in the race for a play-off spot this season, while fellow newly-promoted side Wrexham will be focused on avoiding relegation.

Speaking at the launch of Final One Standing by William Hill, Delap said: “There will be a lot of hype around Wrexham and Birmingham and it’ll be interesting to see how they handle what is a massive leap from League One to the Championship. Avoiding relegation would be a good season for Wrexham, but with Birmingham it’s a bit different because they’ve got players with Championship experience.

“So far, it seems like Birmingham have a bit more Championship pedigree than Wrexham. A lot of people are predicting automatic promotion for Birmingham, but it will still be a tough season for them – they’ll be in and around the play-offs though. Wrexham will be focusing first and foremost on staying in the Championship. Then they’ll be able to kick on in the next season or two.”

I’d like to see Stoke and Derby perform well

Delap will be rooting for two of his former sides in the Championship this season, suggesting both Stoke and Derby are capable of pushing for a play-off place.

“I don’t think the Championship will be too different this year, with most of the same sides competing for the top-six spots, including the relegated teams,” said Delap. “Sheffield United have lost a couple of players and they’ll need to replace them, but they’ll still score a lot of goals.

“I’d like to see two of my former teams, Stoke and Derby, put together a good season. I don’t think they’ll be competing for the automatic spots but they could be up in the top half and maybe nick a play-off place.”

Final One Standing can be fun for everyone

Delap gave his thoughts on William Hill’s new free-to-play game, Final One Standing, emphasising the fun aspect of the product.

“You’ve always got to come up with new ideas to keep people interested and attract new customers, no matter what the business is,” said Delap. “The most important thing about it is people having fun. It’s great to see so many people getting involved.”

Rory Delap was speaking at the launch of William Hill’s new free-to-play game Final One Standing. Players have the chance to win a share of £500,000, with jackpots to be won every week through the 2025/26 Premier League season. Learn more about Final One Standing here.