 He led Birmingham to the fifth round of the 2011–12 FA Cup, drawing away at Chelsea before losing 2–0 in the replay.Hughton guided "the Blues" to a fourth-placed finish in the Championship, qualifying for the play-offs, where they lost 3–2 over the two legs of the semi-final against Blackpool.At the end of the 2011–12 season, Birmingham gave Norwich City permission to talk to Hughton about their vacant managerial post, and he signed for "the Canaries" on 7 June 2012.