The beast was awakened and went on the rampage

BLUES will play Championship football next season after sealing promotion with six games to spare.

- By ALEX DICKEN

A 2-1 win at Peterborough, Blues' 39th victory of the season in all competitions, sealed the deal on Tuesday night.

It meant they could not be caught by third-placed Wycombe, who were 1-0 winners at Huddersfield.

Alfie May headed his 15th goal of the season to give Blues a 19th-minute lead and although Kwame Poku equalised less than three minutes later, Taylor Gardner-Hickman restored the visitors' lead just before half-time.

It is inevitable the League One title will follow and Blues have the chance to clinch a double on Sunday when they take on Peterborough again in the Vertu Trophy final at Wembley.

They are on course to break the third-tier points record - only three more wins are needed to reach 104 points - having breezed past the opposition.

The shock Blues' fans were promised in pre-season simply hasn't arrived. Here are the things that have set them up to return to the Championship at the first attempt.

The appointment of Davies

Look no further than the man in the dugout. A driver of standards with an insatiable appetite to work. The hours that aren't spent on the training ground coaching are spent in front of a computer screen, studying teams to the nth degree. There is very little Chris Davies doesn't know about the other 23 teams in League One at this point.