Birmingham secured promotion from League One with six games to spare by defeating Peterborough 2-1 at the Weston Homes Stadium.

Goals from Alfie May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman earned an immediate return to the Championship for the runaway leaders in what was a dress rehearsal of Sunday’s Vertu Trophy final between the two sides.

Birmingham broke through in the 19th minute when May’s header from Gardner-Hickman’s inviting cross found the net via the underside of the crossbar.

Peterborough were level just three minutes later when Kwame Poku lashed in after Harley Mills’ corner was not cleared by the visitors.

This did not faze the Blues, who regained the lead after 37 minutes when Marc Leonard found Gardner-Hickman in space to his left and his shot squeezed in under the arm of Posh goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic.

The Posh almost equalised again on the hour when Ryan Allsop kept out Malik Mothersille’s shot and the Birmingham goalkeeper also had to save Sam Hughes’ header to ensure his side secured the win to go up.