Blues recorded an emphatic victory over Blackburn Rovers on the final day of the season at St. Andrew's this afternoon but it wasn't enough to save Alex McLeish's men from relegation to the Championship.

A first ever club goal for David Murphy put the home side ahead before Morten Gamst Pedersen regained parity just after the interval.

A late double strike from sub Cameron Jerome and Fabrice Muamba's injury time header provided some light relief on an otherwise depressing day for the club.

Blues were dealt a blow in the warm-up as James McFadden, who had been a doubt in the week leading up to the game, suffered a recurrence of his knee injury having been named in the side and was forced to drop out.

Mauro Zarate was drafted into the team as the only change from the team that had crashed to defeat at Fulham last weekend.

And the Argentinean was involved in the first notable action of the game when he was a whisker away from giving Blues the lead.

The 21-year-old played a one-two with Olivier Kapo before unleashing a fierce half volley that veered agonisingly away from the target.

Fabrice Muamba sloppily gave the ball away to Pedersen and the Norwegian set up Roque Santa Cruz but the Rovers top scorer was denied by Maik Taylor.

The free Clapperboards helped to create an electric atmosphere in the opening stages of the game but the home fans' enthusiasm was dampened by news that Reading had taken the lead at Derby.

And Stephen Warnock came close to darkening the mood further as he latched onto a bouncing ball in the home penalty area but his shot was always rising.

Blues created their second chance of the game on 28 minutes when Sebastian Larsson curled an outswinging cross into the box and Olivier Kapo's header bounced harmlessly wide of Brad Friedel's right hand post.

Just three minutes later and Blues were ahead and it came in controversial and comical fashion.

Jason Roberts gave away a free-kick on the halfway line and Zarate took it quickly while the Blackburn striker was still remonstrating with the referee and several yards from where the infringement had taken place.

But Howard Webb allowed play to continue and David Murphy took the ball forward before letting fly with a shot that should have been meat and drink to Friedel.

However, the Rovers keeper inexplicably allowed the ball to squirm through his grasp and into the net.

Blues weren't complaining though as the spirits of the home fans were raised once more.

Kapo came close to doubling the lead moments later but his low shot was saved by the legs of Friedel.

Ever present defender Stephen Kelly made potentially his most telling contribution to his 38-game season when he cleared the ball off the goal line with Jason Roberts ready to tap in the equaliser just before the interval.

Brett Emerton had skipped past the on-rushing Maik Taylor on the right side the area but Kelly was in the right place to make sure that Blues weren't punished.

Half-time: Blues 1 Blackburn 0

Just four minutes after the interval and Blackburn levelled the scores to stun St. Andrew's.

Damien Johnson slipped at the vital moment on the edge of his own area to concede possession and Blues paid the ultimate punishment.

Maik Taylor twice saved from Roberts but the ball eventually came back to Santa Cruz who set up Pedersen to tap in the equaliser.

Kapo came close to regaining the lead for his side with a missile-like shot that flew wide of Friedel's left post and then the Frenchman headed wide from Larsson's corner.

But any hopes that Blues retained of survival were well and truly crushed as news filtering through of Reading scoring twice more at Derby.

Understandably the atmosphere around the ground was very subdued after that although Jerome brought a smile to home fans' faces by putting Blues back in front just four minutes after coming on a substitute.

The striker had produced the miss of the season just seconds earlier when, after good work from Murphy, he somehow put the ball over the bar from five yards with an open goal in front of him.

But the former Cardiff man made amends by diverting Seb Larsson's cross past Friedel.

Both keepers made saves from Mehdi Nafti and David Bentley respectively as Blues kept hold of their lead but events elsewhere, with Fulham also now winning, would mean that it would be a shallow victory.

Jerome added his second of the afternoon when, after fantastic play from Nafti deep inside his own half, released Gary McSheffrey and his ball over the top of the Blackburn defence set his fellow sub clear on goal.

And incredibly Blues added a fourth deep in injury time when Nafti clipped the ball goalwards and Muamba headed past Friedel.

It was a nice way to finish what has ultimately been a disappointing season with Blues making a double quick return to the Championship.

But if the majority of the current squad can be kept together then a result like today does at least give hope that the team can bounce straight back.

Full-time: Blues 4 Blackburn 1

Blues: Maik Taylor, David Murphy, Stephen Kelly, Radhi Jaidi, Liam Ridgewell, Fabrice Muamba, Sebastian Larsson, Damien Johnson (Mehdi Nafti 73), Olivier Kapo, Mikael Forssell (Cameron Jerome 69), Mauro Zarate.
Subs (from): Colin Doyle, Stuart Parnaby, Gary McSheffrey.
Goal: Murphy (31), Jerome (73, 87), Muamba (90)
Bookings: Johnson (26), Larsson (40)

Blackburn: Brad Friedel, Stephen Warnock (Benni McCarthy 81), Christopher Samba, Ryan Nelson, Brett Emerton, Johann Vogel (David Dunn 67), Roque Santa Cruz, David Bentley, Morten Gamst Pedersen (Tugay 67), Steven Reid, Jason Roberts.
Subs (from): Jason Brown, Zurab Khizanishvili.
Goal: Pedersen (49)
Booking: Santa Cruz (51)

Referee: H Webb (S Yorks)

Attendance: 26,668