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1950–51 Birmingham City F.C. season

FieldValue
clubBirmingham City F.C.
season1950–51
managerBob Brocklebank
chairmanHarry Morris Jr
stdtitleGround
stadiumSt Andrew's
leagueFootball League Second Division
league result4th
cup1FA Cup
cup1 resultSemi-final
(eliminated by Blackpool)
league topscorerCyril Trigg (17)
season topscorerCyril Trigg (19)
highest attendance50,764 vs Manchester United, FA Cup sixth round, 24 February 1951
lowest attendance12,593 vs Southampton, 28 February 1951
average attendance25,333
pattern_la1_whiteborder
pattern_b1_whitecollarplain
pattern_ra1_whiteborder
pattern_so1_whitetop
leftarm1000099
body1000099
rightarm1000099
shorts1FFFFFF
socks1000099
prevseason1949–50
nextseason1951–52

(eliminated by Blackpool) The 1950–51 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 48th in the Football League and their 20th in the Second Division, having been relegated from the First Division in 1949–50. They finished in 4th position in the 22-team division. They entered the 1950–51 FA Cup at the third round proper and reached the semi-final, in which they lost to Blackpool after a replay.

Twenty-two players made at least one appearance in nationally organised competitive football during the season, and there were thirteen different goalscorers. Goalkeeper Gil Merrick, full-back Arthur Atkins and winger Johnny Berry were ever-present in the 48-game season, and Cyril Trigg was the leading goalscorer with 19 goals, of which 17 came in league matches.

As part of the Festival of Britain, friendly matches were arranged at the end of this season between British clubs and teams from other parts of the British Isles and from continental Europe. Birmingham played in four such matches, against teams from Scotland, Ireland and Yugoslavia.

Football League Second Division

Main article: 1950–51 Football League

Note that not all teams completed their playing season on the same day. Birmingham were in third position after their last game of the season, on 28 April, but by the time the last game was played, on 5 May, they had been overtaken by Cardiff City and finished fourth, three points behind the promotion places.

DateLeague
positionOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–AScorersAttendance19 August 195023 August 195026 August 195028 August 19502 September 19506 September 19509 September 195011 September 195016 September 195023 September 195030 September 19507 October 195014 October 195021 October 195028 October 19504 November 195011 November 195018 November 195025 November 19502 December 19509 December 195016 December 195023 December 195025 December 195026 December 195030 December 195013 January 195120 January 19513 February 195117 February 195128 February 19513 March 195117 March 195123 March 195124 March 195126 March 195131 March 19517 April 195114 April 195121 April 195125 April 195128 April 1951
1stSwansea TownAW1–0Boyd25,012
1stLeicester CityHW2–0Trigg, Smith28,343
4thGrimsby TownHD1–1Powell33,017
1stLeicester CityAW3–1Trigg, Smith, Stewart31,291
1stNotts CountyAW1–0Smith34,648
1stCoventry CityHD1–1Higgins24,719
1stPreston North EndHW1–0Smith32,633
2ndCoventry CityAL1–3Berry30,448
5thBuryAL1–4Dorman16,809
5thQueens Park RangersHD1–1Heath og26,583
4thChesterfieldAD1–1Trigg12,330
4thSouthamptonAW2–0Smith, Green25,499
3rdBarnsleyHW2–0Smith, Boyd26,617
4thBrentfordAL1–2Trigg19,273
3rdBlackburn RoversHW3–2Trigg, Smith, Stewart24,552
4thHull CityAL2–3Trigg 232,038
5thDoncaster RoversHL0–226,779
5thSheffield UnitedAL2–3Smith, Stewart23,879
5thLuton TownHW3–0Higgins 2, Smith18,606
7thLeeds UnitedAL0–323,355
6thWest Ham UnitedHW3–1Higgins, Stewart, Smith18,180
4thSwansea TownHW5–0Trigg 3, Stewart, Berry15,649
4thGrimsby TownAD1–1Smith13,141
6thManchester CityAL1–3Trigg40,173
4thManchester CityHW1–0Trigg32,092
5thNotts CountyHL1–4Stewart33,770
7thPreston North EndAL0–130,662
7thBuryHD3–3Trigg 2, Stewart25,653
9thQueens Park RangersAL0–212,295
7thChesterfieldHW2–1Trigg, Higgins33,768
7thSouthamptonHW2–1Trigg, Stewart12,593
5thBarnsleyAW2–0Dailey, Stewart15,450
5thBlackburn RoversAW3–2Dailey 2, Higgins28,116
5thCardiff CityHD0–015,054
4thHull CityHW2–1Dailey, Boyd27,512
5thCardiff CityAL1–2Rowley36,992
5thDoncaster RoversAW1–0Trigg16,091
3rdSheffield UnitedHW3–0Higgins, Rowley, Warhurst21,974
4thLuton TownAD1–1Warhurst16,324
4thLeeds UnitedHL0–123,809
4thBrentfordHD1–1Smith13,643
3rdWest Ham UnitedAW2–1Rowley, Ferris12,396

League table (part)

PosClubPldWDLFAGAPts2nd3rd4th5th6thKeySource
Manchester City421914989611.4652
Cardiff City421716953451.1850
Birmingham City422091364531.2149
Leeds United422081463551.1548
Blackburn Rovers421981565660.9846
Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played;
W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost;
F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points

FA Cup

Main article: 1950–51 FA Cup

Birmingham beat Manchester City, Bristol City, and First Division teams Derby County and Manchester United, without needing a replay and while conceding only one goal, to reach the semi-final, in which they faced another First Division team, Blackpool. The Times suggested that the fixture, "as always when Matthews plays, will present the problem of how to smother the greatest player in the history of English football", warning that "to smother Matthews—should they even succeed—is not to smother Blackpool." Supporters queued all night for tickets; the 20,000 allocation sold out within two hours. In addition to several special trains, the supporters' club chartered 60 coaches to travel to Maine Road, Manchester, where touts were offering tickets for sale at four times face value.

Blackpool were the class team, but "Birmingham, with their fiery, quick tackling, their spirit and the snapping up of stray chances, have swept class aside before now." Though failing to sweep Blackpool aside, they did stop them scoring, combatting the attacking threat by switching the pacy Jack Badham to the left to man-mark Matthews and using the other defenders, among whom Arthur Atkins stood out, to cut out his crosses. With two minutes left, Jackie Stewart's "terrific left-foot shot struck a post, then passed out, with thousands of horrified Blackpool supporters on the verge of doing likewise."

In the replay, at Goodison Park in front of a 70,000 crowd, "the greatest mystery of all was why the Blackpool inside forwards did not run up a total of five or six goals in the opening hour—to put it conservatively", with Matthews in "his finest form". They scored twice, but within a minute of the second, Bill Smith pulled one back after Johnny Berry's corner rebounded from a post. In the remainder of the match, Birmingham rallied, with shots from all parts; "Blackpool weathered the storm they had brought upon themselves, but how gallantly had Birmingham died."

RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–AScorersAttendanceThird roundFourth roundFifth roundSixth roundSemi-finalSemi-final replay
6 January 1951Manchester CityHW2–0Stewart, Higgins30,057
27 January 1951Derby CountyAW3–1Stewart, Trigg, Smith37,384
10 February 1951Bristol CityHW2–0Stewart, Trigg47,831
24 February 1951Manchester UnitedHW1–0Higgins50,764
10 March 1951BlackpoolMaine Road, ManchesterD0–071,890
14 March 1951BlackpoolGoodison Park, LiverpoolL1–2Smith70,114

Festival of Britain

As part of the Festival of Britain, friendly matches were arranged at the end of this season between British clubs and against teams from continental Europe. Birmingham played in four such matches, against teams from Scotland, Ireland and Yugoslavia.

DateOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–AScorersAttendance7 May 195112 May 195118 May 195120 May 1951
AirdrieoniansHL3–5Berry 2, Kelly og7,985
Dinamo (Yugoslavia)HL0–212,058
Home Farm (Dublin)AW2–1Stewart, Berry3,000
Cork AthleticAW5–2Trigg 2, Higgins, Stewart, Dailey2,750

Appearances and goals

:Players marked left the club during the playing season. :Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; FB – Full back; HB – Half back; FW – Forward

Pos.Nat.NameLeagueFA CupTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
GKENG42060480
FBENG35050400
FBENG39140431
FBENG100010
FBSCO10030130
HBENG42060480
HBENG36360423
HBENG21110221
HBNIR20160261
FWZAF100010
FWSCO300030
FWENG42260482
FWSCO640064
FWIRL28762239
FWIRL400040
FWWAL15100151
FWENG10000100
FWENG830083
FWENG3512524014
FWSCO259633112
FWENG3017623619
FWENG920092

References

General

  • Source for match dates and results:
  • Source for lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 336–37.
  • Source for kit: "Birmingham City". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

Specific

References

  1. "Birmingham City 1950–1951: English Division Two (old) Table". Statto Organisation.
  2. (27 February 1951). "The F.A. Cup. Semi-Final Draw". The Times.
  3. (5 March 1951). "All-Night Wait for Cup Tickets". The Manchester Guardian.
  4. (12 March 1951). "Cup-Tie Invasion of Manchester". The Manchester Guardian.
  5. (10 March 1951). "The F.A. Cup. Semi-Final Round". The Times.
  6. (12 March 1951). "No Goals at Maine Road. Birmingham Hold Blackpool". The Times.
  7. An Old International. (12 March 1951). "Two Goalless Semi-Finals". The Manchester Guardian.
  8. (15 March 1951). "The F.A. Cup. Blackpool's Second Final". The Times.
  9. (15 March 1951). "Blackpool Reach Final". The Manchester Guardian.
  10. Matthews (1995), p. 243.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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