1954–55 Birmingham City F.C. season

The 1954–55 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 52nd in the Football League and their 24th in the Second Division. They finished top of the 22-team division on goal average, thus winning the Second Division title for the fourth time and gaining promotion to the First Division for 1955–56. They entered the 1954–55 FA Cup at the third round proper and lost to Manchester City in the sixth round (quarter-final).

Birmingham City F.C.
1954–55 season
ChairmanHarry Morris Jr
ManagerBob Brocklebank until October 1954
Arthur Turner thereafter
GroundSt Andrew's
Football League Second Division1st
FA CupSixth round
(eliminated by Manchester City)
Top goalscorerLeague: Peter Murphy (20)
All: Peter Murphy (20)
Highest home attendance57,960 vs Manchester City, FA Cup 6th round, 20 April 1955
Lowest home attendance6,441 vs Doncaster Rovers, 16 March 1955
Average home league attendance20,973

Bob Brocklebank and chief scout Walter Taylor laid the foundations for the club's successes of the 1950s, introducing future England internationals Trevor Smith and Jeff Hall to the side, and bringing in the likes of Peter Murphy, Eddy Brown, Roy Warhurst and Alex Govan.[1] Arthur Turner took over from Brocklebank as manager in November 1954 with the club mid-table in the Second Division, having gained only one point away from home. By the end of the season they had scored 92 goals,[2] inflicted Liverpool's record defeat, by nine goals to one,[3] which was also Birmingham's widest margin of victory in a league match since the 19th century, and, needing five points from the last three games, all away from home, to be sure of promotion, confirmed themselves as champions with a 5–1 win in the last game of the season away at Doncaster Rovers.[2]

Twenty-five players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were eleven different goalscorers. Half-back Len Boyd played in 43 of the 46 first-team matches over the season, and Peter Murphy was leading goalscorer with 20 goals, all scored in league competition. All five first-choice forwards – Gordon Astall, Noel Kinsey, Brown, Murphy and Govan – reached double figures.

Football League Second Division
Main article: 1954–55 Football League
DateLeague
position		Opponents VenueResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
21 August 1954 17thStoke CityA L1–2Warhurst 27,820
25 August 1954 7thBristol RoversH W2–1Kinsey, Rowley 25,890
28 August 1954 3rdRotherham UnitedH W3–1Govan 2, Warhurst 27,260
30 August 1954 6thBristol RoversA D1–1Warhurst 26,218
4 September 1954 11thLuton TownA L0–1 16,347
8 September 1954 8thIpswich TownH W4–0Kinsey, Warmington, Astall 21,238
11 September 1954 7thHull CityH D0–0 23,846
15 September 1954 6thIpswich TownA W2–1Warmington, Murphy 16,746
18 September 1954 6thLincoln CityA D1–1Kinsey 14,581
25 September 1954 10thBuryH L1–3Lane 21,242
2 October 1954 11thLeeds UnitedA L0–1 21,200
9 October 1954 12thFulhamA L1–2Astall 30,293
16 October 1954 12thSwansea TownH W2–0Murphy 2 19,998
30 October 1954 14thDerby CountyH D1–1Brown 20,568
6 November 1954 13thWest Ham UnitedA D2–2Murphy 2 25,366
13 November 1954 11thBlackburn RoversH W3–1Brown, Astall, Govan 23,829
20 November 1954 12thPlymouth ArgyleA L0–1 19,204
27 November 1954 10thPort ValeH W7–2Brown, Murphy 3, Kinsey 2, Govan 16,352
4 December 1954 14thNotts CountyA L2–3Murphy, Govan 13,477
11 December 1954 13thLiverpoolH W9–1Brown 3, Lane, Murphy 2, Astall, Govan 17,067
18 December 1954 11thStoke CityH W2–0Brown, Govan 22,427
25 December 1954 12thNottingham ForestH L0–1 33,007
27 December 1954 10thNottingham ForestA W2–0Murphy, Burkitt og 25,875
1 January 1955 8thRotherham UnitedA W2–0Kinsey, Govan 17,166
5 February 1955 10thLincoln CityH D3–3Murphy 2, Kinsey 20,313
12 February 1955 9thBuryA W1–0Brown 12,547
2 March 1955 7thLeeds UnitedH W2–0Lane, Govan 10,774
5 March 1955 6thSwansea TownA W3–0Lane, Kinsey, Boyd 22,565
16 March 1955 5thDoncaster RoversH W4–1Kinsey, Murphy, Astall, Warhurst 6,441
19 March 1955 7thDerby CountyA D0–0 19,489
26 March 1955 7thWest Ham UnitedH L1–2Brown 9,132
30 March 1955 5thFulhamH W3–2Lane, Astall 2 9,686
2 April 1955 6thBlackburn RoversA D3–3Lane, Murphy, Kinsey 27,673
8 April 1955 5thMiddlesbroughA W5–2Lane, Brown 2, Govan 2 32,519
9 April 1955 4thPlymouth ArgyleH W3–1Kinsey, Lane, Govan 25,078
11 April 1955 4thMiddlesbroughH W3–0Kinsey, Murphy, Govan 23,657
16 April 1955 5thPort ValeA L0–2 24,036
20 April 1955 3rdLuton TownH W2–1Murphy 2 34,612
23 April 1955 5thNotts CountyH D1–1Brown 28,018
25 April 1955 3rdHull CityA W3–0Bradbury, Govan 12,848
30 April 1955 3rdLiverpoolA D2–2Brown, Astall 38,060
4 May 1955 1stDoncaster RoversA W5–1Brown, Murphy, Astall 2, Govan 21,305

League table (part)
Final Second Division table (part)
Pos Club Pld W D L F A GA Pts
1st Birmingham City4222101092491.9654
2nd Luton Town422381188531.6654
3rd Rotherham United422541394641.4754
4th Leeds United422371270571.3253
5th Stoke City4221101169461.5052
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: 1954–55 FA Cup
Round DateOpponentsVenue ResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
Third round 8 January 1955Hull CityA W2–0Kinsey, Brown 25,920
Fourth round 29 January 1955Bolton WanderersH W2–1Govan, Wheeler og 56,852
Fifth round 19 February 1955Doncaster RoversH W2–1Brown 2 57,800
Sixth round 12 March 1955Manchester CityH L0–1 57,960

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
Pos. Nat. Name League FA Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
GK ENG Gil Merrick 27040310
GK ENG Johnny Schofield 15000150
FB ENG George Allen 13000130
FB ENG Jack Badham 11000110
FB ENG Ken Green 29040330
FB ENG Jeff Hall 32040360
FB SCO Roy Martin 100010
HB ENG Len Boyd 39140431
HB ENG John James 001010
HB ENG Johnny Newman 17000170
HB ENG Trevor Smith 24040280
HB ENG Roy Warhurst 34430374
HB ENG Johnny Watts 10000100
FW ENG Gordon Astall 3311403711
FW ENG Bill Bradbury 220022
FW ENG Eddy Brown 2814433217
FW ENG Geoff Cox 400040
FW SCO Alex Govan 3715414116
FW ENG Dennis Hill 200020
FW WAL Noel Kinsey 3513413914
FW ENG Jackie Lane 22800228
FW ENG Peter Murphy 3720404120
FW ENG Ken Rowley 410041
FW SCO Jackie Stewart 100010
FW ENG Peter Warmington 520052
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See also
  • Birmingham City F.C. seasons

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 1954–1955: Results". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  • Source for lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 344–45.
  • Source for kit: "Birmingham City". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

Specific

  1. Matthews, Complete Record, p. 61.
  2. Matthews (1995), pp. 25–27.
  3. "LFC Records". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  4. "Birmingham City 1954–1955: English Division Two (old) Table". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
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