1908–09 Birmingham F.C. season

The 1908–09 Football League season was Birmingham Football Club's 17th in the Football League and their 9th in the Second Division, to which they were relegated at the end of the 1907–08 season. They began the season well, not dropping out of the top two until December, but gradually fell away until finishing in 11th position in the 20-team division. They also took part in the 1909–10 FA Cup, entering at the first round proper and losing in that round to Portsmouth.

Birmingham F.C.
1908–09 season
ChairmanWalter W. Hart
Secretary-managerAlex Watson
GroundSt Andrew's
Football League Second Division11th
FA CupFirst round (eliminated by Portsmouth)
Top goalscorerLeague: Billy Beer (8)
All: Billy Beer, Frederick Chapple (8)
Highest home attendance30,035 vs West Bromwich Albion, 28 December 1908
Lowest home attendance1,500 vs Chesterfield Town 17 April 1909
Team colours

Alex Watson succeeded Alf Jones as secretary-manager at the start 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.

Twenty-nine players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were fifteen different goalscorers. Goalkeeper Jack Dorrington played in 35 of the 39 matches over the season; full-back Billy Beer played one fewer. Beer and Frederick Chapple were joint leading scorers with 8 goals; all of Beer's goals were scored in the league. In September, a 19-year-old called Frank Womack made his Football League debut. He went on to play 515 times for Birmingham in senior competition, 491 in the league, but never scored a goal.

In October, Walter Corbett, who had made his debut for the England senior team earlier in the year,[1] was a member of the gold medal-winning Great Britain Olympic football team at the London Olympics.[2]

Football League Second Division
Main article: 1908–09 Football League

Note that not all clubs finished their playing season on the same date. Birmingham were in 10th place in the division after their final game, on 24 April, but by the time the fixtures were all complete, on 30 April, they had been overtaken by Gainsborough Trinity and finished 11th.[3][4]

DateLeague
position		Opponents VenueResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
2 September 1908 1stBolton WanderersH W2–0Eyre 2 8,000
5 September 1908 2ndGainsborough TrinityA W3–1Eyre 2, W.H. Jones 5,000
7 September 1908 1stBradford Park AvenueH W3–1Smith, Fairman, W.H. Jones 10,000
12 September 1908 1stGrimsby TownH W3–1Jones, Green pen, Smith 15,000
19 September 1908 1stFulhamA D1–1Green 38,000
26 September 1908 1stBurnleyH W2–0Fairman, W.H. Jones 20,000
6 October 1908 1stBradford Park AvenueA W2–1Beer, Baddeley og 8,000
10 October 1908 1stWolverhampton WanderersH D1–1Smith 20,000
17 October 1908 1stOldham AthleticA L0–2 14,000
24 October 1908 1stClapton OrientH W1–0Williams 10,000
31 October 1908 1stLeeds CityA L0–2 15,000
7 November 1908 2ndBarnsleyH W2–1Green, W.H. Jones 10,000
14 November 1908 2ndTottenham HotspurA L0–4 20,000
21 November 1908 2ndHull CityH L1–2Beer 5,000
28 November 1908 2ndDerby CountyA W2–1Moore, Mounteney 10,000
5 December 1908 3rdBlackpoolH D2–2Chapple, Smith 7,000
12 December 1908 5thChesterfield TownA L2–4Mounteney, Anderson 5,000
19 December 1908 6thGlossopH L1–2Smith 5,000
25 December 1908 4thStockport CountyH W4–2Chapple 4 10,000
26 December 1908 5thWest Bromwich AlbionA D1–1King 38,049
28 December 1908 5thWest Bromwich AlbionH D0–0 30,035
1 January 1909 5thBolton WanderersA L1–2Beer 23,000
2 January 1909 5thGainsborough TrinityH D2–2King, Beer 10,000
9 January 1909 5thGrimsby TownA W3–0Williams, Chapple 5,000
23 January 1909 5thFulhamH L1–3Beer 9,000
30 January 1909 5thBurnleyA D1–1Beer 7,000
13 February 1909 6thWolverhampton WanderersA L0–2 10,000
20 February 1909 5thOldham AthleticH W2–0Beer 2 12,000
27 February 1909 6thClapton OrientA L2–3King, Bumphrey 7,000
13 March 1909 8thBarnsleyA L1–3King 4,000
20 March 1909 7thTottenham HotspurH D3–3King, Mounteney, Daykin 8,000
27 March 1909 7thHull CityA L1–4Bumphrey 8,000
3 April 1909 8thDerby CountyH D1–1King 4,000
9 April 1909 8thStockport CountyA L2–3Chapple, Lowe 7,000
10 April 1909 10thBlackpoolA L0–2 3,000
12 April 1909 9thLeeds CityH W1–0Bumphrey 3,000
17 April 1909 8thChesterfield TownH W3–0Mounteney 3 1,500
24 April 1909 10thGlossopA L1–2Mounteney 500

League table (part)
Final Second Division table (part)
Pos Club Pld W D L F A GA Pts
9th Gainsborough Trinity381581549700.7038
10th Fulham3813111458481.2137
11th Birmingham381491558610.9537
12th Leeds City381471743530.8135
13th Grimsby Town381471741540.7635
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 [4]

FA Cup
Main article: 1908–09 FA Cup
Round DateOpponentsVenue ResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
First round 16 January 1909PortsmouthH L2–5Chapple pen, King 18,813

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
Arthur Box Goalkeeper400040
Jack Dorrington Goalkeeper34010350
Walter Corbett Full back15010160
John Kearns Full back27010280
Frank Stokes Full back23000230
Frank Womack Full back14000140
Billy Beer Half back33810348
Thomas Daykin Half back17110181
Bob Fairman Half back19200192
Albert Gardner Half back200020
Tom Handley Half back12000120
Walter Wigmore Half back23010240
George Anderson Forward12110131
James Bumphrey Forward12300123
Frederick Chapple Forward19711208
Edmund Eyre Forward15400154
Benny Green Forward18300183
Wilf Haines Forward300030
Billy Jones Forward18510195
Charles Jones Forward100010
Frederick Kerns Forward100010
Harry King Forward19611207
Bernard Lowe Forward11100111
George Moore Forward210021
Arthur Mounteney Forward16700167
Billy Smith Forward17500175
George Travers Forward100010
Jack Wilcox Forward18010190
James Williams Forward12300123
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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 1908–1909: Results". Statto Organisation. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  • Source for lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 262–63. Note that attendance figures are estimated.
  • Source for kit: "Birmingham City". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

Specific

  1. "Player Info: Walter Samuel Corbett". englandstats.com. Davey Naylor. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  2. Cook, Theodore Andrea (ed.) (1909). "The Fourth Olympiad being the Official Report The Olympic Games of 1908" Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. London: The British Olympic Association. p. 178. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  3. "Birmingham City 1908–1909: English Division Two (old) Table 24.04.1909" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  4. "Birmingham City 1908–1909: English Division Two (old) Table" Archived 22 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
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