1907–08 Birmingham F.C. season

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Birmingham F.C.
1907–08 season
ChairmanWalter W. Hart
Secretary-managerAlf Jones
GroundSt Andrew's
Football League First Division20th (relegated)
FA CupFirst round (eliminated by West Bromwich Albion)
Top goalscorerLeague: Benny Green, Edmund Eyre (8)
All: Edmund Eyre (9)
Highest home attendance45,000 vs Aston Villa, 21 September 1907
Lowest home attendance2,000 vs Nottingham Forest, 30 March 1908
Average home league attendance15,105
Team colours

The 1907–08 English football season was Birmingham Football Club's 16th in the Football League and their 8th in the First Division. They were in the relegation positions by mid-October, and only once, briefly, rose above them, finishing bottom of the 20-team league, four points adrift of safety, and were relegated to the Second Division for 1908–09. They also took part in the 1907–08 FA Cup, entering at the first round proper and losing in that round to West Bromwich Albion after a replay.

Alf Jones stepped down as secretary-manager at the end of the season. Jones began acting as unpaid secretary for Small Heath Alliance in 1885, the year the club turned professional, became their first paid secretary with responsibility for team matters in 1892, when the club first joined the Football League, and had held the post of secretary-manager ever since. He was succeeded by Alex Watson.

Twenty-eight players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were ten different goalscorers. Forward Benny Green played in 38 of the 40 matches over the season. Edmund Eyre was leading scorer with nine goals; in the league, Eyre and Green each scored eight.

Shortly before the match against Nottingham Forest in February was due to start, a severe gale blew sections of the corrugated-iron roof off the grandstand. Although the match went ahead, it was abandoned after 35 minutes because of the wind.[1]

Football League First Division[]

Main article: 1907–08 Football League
Date League
position		 Opponents Venue Result Score
F–A		 Scorers Attendance
4 September 1907 16th Middlesbrough A L 0–1 16,000
7 September 1907 7th Preston North End H W 2–0 Mounteney 10,000
14 September 1907 15th Bury A L 0–1 14,000
16 September 1907 16th Bury H L 0–1 12,000
21 September 1907 17th Aston Villa H L 2–3 Eyre, Tickle 45,000
28 September 1907 16th Liverpool A W 4–3 Green, Mounteney 2, Eyre 20,000
5 October 1907 16th Middlesbrough H L 1–4 Green 16,000
12 October 1907 19th Sheffield United A L 0–1 13,000
19 October 1907 19th Chelsea H D 1–1 Green 20,000
26 October 1907 19th Nottingham Forest A D 1–1 Green 12,000
2 November 1907 19th Manchester United H L 3–4 Jones, Eyre 2 20,000
9 November 1907 20th Blackburn Rovers A L 0–1 6,000
16 November 1907 19th Bolton Wanderers H W 2–1 Green, Eyre 15,000
23 November 1907 20th Newcastle United A L 0–8 20,000
7 December 1907 20th Sunderland H L 0–2 10,000
14 December 1907 20th Woolwich Arsenal A D 1–1 Green 3,000
21 December 1907 20th Sheffield Wednesday H W 2–1 Drake, Jones 12,000
25 December 1907 20th Manchester City H W 2–1 Eyre, Bluff 12,000
26 December 1907 20th Notts County H D 0–0 20,000
27 December 1907 20th Notts County A D 0–0 12,000
28 December 1907 19th Bristol City A D 0–0 10,000
4 January 1908 20th Preston North End A D 1–1 Jones 8,000
18 January 1908 19th Aston Villa A W 3–2 Eyre, Green, Drake 39,500
25 January 1908 19th Liverpool H D 1–1 Mounteney 18,000
8 February 1908 20th Sheffield United H D 0–0 16,000
15 February 1908 19th Chelsea A D 2–2 Jones, Eyre 17,000
29 February 1908 20th Manchester United A L 0–1 10,000
7 March 1908 20th Blackburn Rovers H D 1–1 Mounteney 5,000
14 March 1908 20th Bolton Wanderers A L 0–1 13,047
18 March 1908 20th Everton A L 1–4 Tickle 10,000
21 March 1908 20th Newcastle United H D 1–1 Tickle 20,000
28 March 1908 19th Everton H W 2–1 Jones, Beer 15,000
30 March 1908 20th Nottingham Forest H W 1–0 Jones 2,000
4 April 1908 20th Sunderland A L 0–1 16,000
11 April 1908 20th Woolwich Arsenal H L 1–2 Beer 15,000
17 April 1908 20th Manchester City A L 1–2 Mounteney 25,000
18 April 1908 20th Sheffield Wednesday A W 4��1 Jones, Beer, Anderson, Green 8,000
25 April 1908 18th Bristol City H L 0–4 4,000

League table (part)[]

Final First Division table (part)
Pos Club Pld W D L F A GA Pts
16th Sunderland 38 16 3 19 78 75 1.04 35
17th Sheffield United 38 12 11 15 52 58 0.90 35
18th Notts County 38 13 8 17 39 51 0.77 34
19th Bolton Wanderers 38 14 5 19 52 58 0.90 33
20th Birmingham 38 9 12 19 40 60 0.67 30
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 [2]

FA Cup[]

Main article: 1907–08 FA Cup
Round Date Opponents Venue Result Score
F–A		 Scorers Attendance
First round 11 January 1907 West Bromwich Albion A L 1–1 Jones 36,727
First round replay 15 January 1907 West Bromwich Albion H L 1–2 Eyre 24,895

Appearances and goals[]

  • Players with name struck through and marked Left club during playing season 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
Jack Dorrington Goalkeeper 24 0 2 0 24 0
Nat Robinson Goalkeeper 14 0 0 0 14 0
Walter Corbett Full back 11 0 1 0 12 0
Bob Fairman Full back 3 0 0 0 3 0
John Glover Full back 13 0 0 0 13 0
John Kearns Full back 23 0 2 0 25 0
Frank Stokes Full back 28 0 1 0 29 0
Billy Beer Half back 34 3 2 0 36 3
Frank Cornan Half back 26 0 2 0 28 0
Jim Dougherty Half back 6 0 0 0 6 0
Tom Handley Half back 1 0 0 0 1 0
Ambrose Hartwell Half back 1 0 0 0 1 0
Walter Wigmore Half back 35 1 2 0 37 1
George Anderson Forward 8 1 0 0 8 1
Edgar Bluff Forward 9 1 0 0 9 1
Alonzo Drake Forward 11 2 2 0 13 2
Edmund Eyre Forward 31 8 2 1 33 9
Percy Gooch Forward 1 0 0 0 1 0
Benny Green Forward 36 8 2 0 38 8
John Higgins Forward 1 0 0 0 1 0
Ezra HolmesLeft club during playing season Forward 2 0 0 0 2 0
Billy Jones Forward 23 7 2 1 25 8
Harry King Forward 1 0 0 0 1 0
George Moore Forward 1 0 0 0 1 0
Arthur Morris Forward 1 0 0 0 1 0
Arthur Mounteney Forward 25 6 0 0 25 6
Billy Peplow Forward 17 0 0 0 17 0
Charlie Tickle Forward 31 3 2 0 33 3
George Travers Forward 1 0 0 0 1 0

See also[]

  • Birmingham City F.C. seasons

References[]

General

  • Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Breedon Books (Derby). ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  • Matthews, Tony (2010). Birmingham City: The Complete Record. DB Publishing (Derby). ISBN 978-1-85983-853-2.
  • Source for match dates and results: "Birmingham City 1907–1908: Results". Statto Organisation. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  • Source for lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 260–61. Note that attendance figures are estimated.
  • Source for kit: "Birmingham City". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

Specific

  1. ^ Severe Gale. The Times (London). p. 10. 24 February 1908.
    Great Storm. Football Stand Dangers. The Manchester Guardian. p. 7. 24 February 1908. "At Birmingham, as people were assembling for the match between Birmingham and Notts Forest, the wind carried off a large portion of the iron roofing sheets of the grand stand. About 20 feet of sheet-iron was lifted into the air, twisted round and round like so much paper, and finally deposited on a piece of waste ground about fifty yards away. There were not more than a thousand spectators present at the time, and a number of these immediately left the ground. The grand stand was cleared, as portions of the woodwork showed signs of giving way. An attempt was made to play the match, but before half-time the game was stopped."
  2. ^ "Birmingham City 1907–1908: English Division One (old) Table" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
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