Birmingham F.C.
1938–39 season
ChairmanHarry Morris Jr
ManagerGeorge Liddell
GroundSt Andrew's
Football League First Division21st (relegated)
FA CupFifth round (eliminated by Everton)
Top goalscorerLeague: Fred Harris (14)
All: Fred Harris (17)
Highest home attendance67,341[lower-alpha 1] vs Everton, FA Cup 5th round, 11 February 1939
Lowest home attendance8,970 vs Huddersfield Town, 29 March 1939
Average home league attendance25,228

The 1938–39 Football League season was Birmingham Football Club's 43rd in the Football League and their 26th in the First Division. They were in the relegation positions after the second game of the season, rarely rose above them, and finished in 21st place in the 22-team division, one point from safety, so dropped to the Second Division for the 1939–40 season. They entered the 1938–39 FA Cup at the third round proper and lost to Everton in the fifth round after a replay. The club's record attendance was set in the FA Cup-tie at home to Everton, variously recorded as 67,341 or 66,844.[lower-alpha 1]

Thirty-two players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were fifteen different goalscorers. Half-back Don Dearson played in 42 of the 46 matches over the season, and Fred Harris was the leading scorer with 17 goals, of which 14 were scored in the league. Harry Morris, son of the Harry Morris who played for the club in the 1880s and was a member of the board of directors for nearly 30 years, took over as chairman from Howard Cant.

When the Second World War began, the 1939–40 Football League season was abandoned after three Second Division matches had been played.[7] The first post-war Football League season was in 1946–47, though the FA Cup resumed a season earlier.

Football League First Division

DateLeague
position		Opponents VenueResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
27 August 1938 14thSunderlandH L1–2Jennings pen 32,117
31 August 1938 20thLeeds UnitedA L0–2 13,578
3 September 1938 22ndManchester UnitedA L1–4Harris 22,228
7 September 1938 20thLeicester CityH W2–1Kelly, Jones 14,092
10 September 1938 21stStoke CityH L1–2Harris 26,519
12 September 1938 21stLeicester CityA L1–2Farrage 10,778
17 September 1938 21stChelseaA D2–2Brown pen, Jones 39,505
24 September 1938 22ndPreston North EndH L1–3Farrage 26,221
1 October 1938 22ndCharlton AthleticA D4–4Harris 2, Duckhouse, White 20,039
8 October 1938 22ndBolton WanderersH L0–2 21,855
15 October 1938 20thDerby CountyH W3–0White 2, Brown 27,858
22 October 1938 22ndGrimsby TownA L0–1 11,022
29 October 1938 21stAston VillaH W3–0Harris 2, Brown 55,301
5 November 1938 22ndWolverhampton WanderersA L1–2Phillips 30,713
12 November 1938 21stEvertonH W1–0Phillips 27,548
19 November 1938 21stHuddersfield TownA L1–3Morris 14,637
26 November 1938 20thPortsmouthH W2–0Jennings pen, Dearson 20,317
3 December 1938 21stArsenalA L1–3Jennings pen 33,710
10 December 1938 19thBrentfordH W5–1White 4, Phillips 23,333
17 December 1938 21stBlackpoolA L1–2White 11,855
24 December 1938 22ndSunderlandA L0–1 14,555
26 December 1938 21stMiddlesbroughH W2–1Morris, Trigg 17,953
27 December 1938 21stMiddlesbroughA D2–2Harris, Phillips 33,534
31 December 1938 22ndManchester UnitedH D3–3Jennings, Phillips, Dearson 20,787
14 January 1939 22ndStoke CityA L3–6Jennings pen, Harris, Duckhouse 14,417
28 January 1939 22ndPreston North EndA L0–5 18,477
4 February 1939 22ndCharlton AthleticH L3–4Harris 3 29,727
18 February 1939 22ndDerby CountyA W1–0Brown 15,411
22 February 1939 22ndBolton WanderersA L0–3 11,696
25 February 1939 22ndGrimsby TownH D1–1Craven 23,231
4 March 1939 22ndAston VillaA L1–5Dearson 40,874
11 March 1939 22ndWolverhampton WanderersH W3–2Harris, Morris, Jones 48,970
18 March 1939 22ndEvertonA L2–4Harris, Jones 29,867
29 March 1939 22ndHuddersfield TownH D1–1Jones 8,970
1 April 1939 22ndPortsmouthA L0–2 21,918
7 April 1939 22ndLiverpoolA L0–4 31,741
8 April 1939 22ndArsenalH L1–2Kendrick 33,250
10 April 1939 22ndLiverpoolH D0–0 15,067
15 April 1939 22ndBrentfordA W1–0Jones 15,298
22 April 1939 21stBlackpoolH W2–1Craven, Harris 21,812
26 April 1939 21stChelseaH D1–1Brown 28,637
29 April 1939 21stLeeds UnitedH W4–0Brown, Scaife og, Morris 2 12,522

League table (part)

Final First Division table (part)
Pos Club Pld W D L F A GA Pts
18th Brentford421482053740.7236
19th Huddersfield Town4212111958640.9135
20th Chelsea421292164800.8033
21st Birmingham421282262840.7432
22nd Leicester City429112248820.5829
Key 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
Source [8]

FA Cup

Round DateOpponentsVenue ResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
Third round 7 January 1939Halifax TownH W2–0Jennings, Phillips 23,522
Fourth round 21 January 1939Chelmsford CityH W6–0Harris, Brown, Jennings, Madden 2 44,494
Fifth round 11 February 1939EvertonH D2–2Madden 2 67,341
Fifth round replay 15 February 1939EvertonA L1–2Harris 64,796

Appearances and goals

  • Players with name struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.
Players having played at least one first-team match
Name Position Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
League FA Cup Total
Frank Clack Goalkeeper24040280
Harry Hibbs Goalkeeper13000130
Jack Wheeler Goalkeeper500050
Billy Hughes Full back35040390
Willie Steel† Full back11000110
Ernie Sykes Full back702090
Cyril Trigg Full back30120321
Norman Brunskill† Half back700070
Dick Butler† Half back200020
James Bye Half back101020
Don Dearson Half back39330423
Wally Halsall Half back21020230
Bob Meacock Half back13020150
Dai Richards Half back19030220
Jack Shaw Half back11000110
Ray Shaw Half back501060
Arthur Turner Half back12000120
Harold Bodle Forward100010
Jackie Brown Forward34641387
Charlie Craven Forward17240212
Ted Duckhouse Forward420042
Tom Farrage Forward720072
Fred Harris Forward3714434117
Dennis Jennings Forward29542337
Wilson Jones Forward21600216
Jack Kelly Forward410041
Kenny Kendrick Forward210021
Owen Madden Forward503484
Geoffrey Moreland† Forward400040
Seymour Morris Forward14500145
Charlie Phillips Forward15511166
Frank White† Forward13800138

Abandoned 1939–40 Football League season

Birmingham began the 1939–40 Football League season in the Second Division, but the onset of the Second World War caused the League to be abandoned after three Second Division matches had been played. They fielded the same eleven for all three matches: Harry Hibbs, Cyril Trigg, Billy Hughes, James Bye, Arthur Turner, Ray Shaw, Jackie Brown, Don Dearson, Ted Duckhouse, Fred Harris and Tom Farrage. Farrage was killed in action in September 1944, serving as a private in the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment during Operation Market Garden.[9]

Match results
DateOpponents VenueResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
26 August 1939 Tottenham HotspurA D1–1Brown 28,366
30 August 1939 Leicester CityH W2–0Farrage, Sharman og 13,848
2 September 1939 BurnleyH W2–0Dearson, Duckhouse 15,900

Notes

  1. 1 2 The records page of Birmingham City F.C.'s website[1] and the 2010 Sky Sports Football Yearbook[2] list the attendance at 66,844. Others, including the history page of Birmingham City F.C.'s website,[3] Matthews' Encyclopedia[4] and Complete Record,[5] and The Times newspaper from the Monday following the match,[6] say 67,341.

References

General

  • Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  • Matthews, Tony (2010). Birmingham City: The Complete Record. Derby: DB Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85983-853-2.
  • Source for match dates and results: "Birmingham City 1938–1939: Results". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  • Source for lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 318–19.
  • Source for 1939–40 season: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 320–21.
  • Source for kit: "Birmingham City". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

Specific

  1. ↑ "Birmingham City Records". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  2. ↑ Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2010). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2010–2011. Headline. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-7553-6107-6.
  3. ↑ "Club History". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  4. ↑ Matthews, Tony (2000). "Attendances". The Encyclopedia of Birmingham City Football Club 1875–2000. Cradley Heath: Britespot. pp. 20–21. ISBN 978-0-9539288-0-4.
  5. ↑ Matthews (2010), Complete Record, p. 318.
  6. ↑ "Fifth round official figures". The Times. London. 13 February 1939. p. 5.
  7. ↑ Felton, Paul. "Season 1939–40 (Abandoned)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  8. ↑ "Birmingham City 1938–1939: English Division One (old) Table". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  9. ↑ "Casualty details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
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