1906–07 Birmingham F.C. season
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The 1906–07 Football League season was Birmingham Football Club's 15th in the Football League and their 7th in the First Division. They finished in ninth place in the 20-team league. They also took part in the 1906–07 FA Cup, entering at the first round proper and losing in that round to Liverpool.
| 1906–07 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Walter W. Hart |
| Secretary-manager | Alf Jones |
| Ground | Coventry Road until 22 December 1906 St Andrew's Ground from 26 December 1906 |
| Football League First Division | 9th |
| FA Cup | First round (eliminated by Liverpool) |
| Top goalscorer | League: Billy Jones (15) All: Billy Jones (15) |
| Highest home attendance | 60,000 vs Aston Villa, 19 January 1907 |
| Lowest home attendance | 6,000 vs Bury, 22 December 1906 |
| Average home league attendance | 16,684 |
|
Team colours | |
Twenty-six players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were twelve different goalscorers. Forwards Benny Green and Billy Jones were ever-present over the 39-match season; full-back Frank Stokes and half-backs Billy Beer and Walter Wigmore missed only one, and three other players exceeded 30 appearances. Billy Jones was leading scorer with 15 goals, all of which came in the league.
The last league match at the Coventry Road ground, which no longer met the club's needs, was played on 22 December 1906. Birmingham beat Bury 3–1. The last goal was scored by Arthur Mounteney, and the Birmingham Daily Post described how
At the conclusion of the match the band played "Auld Lang Syne", and the crowd silently left the ground which has been the home of the club for so many years and the scene of many brilliant victories and many heartbreaking defeats, and of an uphill struggle from which the club, thanks to the courage of the directors, has at length emerged triumphant.[1]
Within months the ground had been demolished and the land cleared for housing.[2]
Construction of the St Andrew's Ground, in the Bordesley district some three-quarters of a mile (1 km) closer to the city centre, had taken less than a year from leasing the land to official opening on Boxing Day 1906. Heavy overnight snowfall put the ceremony, and the scheduled match against Middlesbrough, at risk. Dozens of volunteers, including members of the club's board, worked all morning to clear the pitch. The game finally kicked off an hour late, finishing goalless in front of 32,000 spectators.[3][4] The Birmingham Daily Post editorial next day suggested that "the fact that so many spectators attended under such adverse conditions augurs well for the step that the directors have taken", and that the directors were "to be congratulated in having provided their supporters with a ground second to none in the country".[4] The Football Association chose the ground to host the FA Cup semi-final in March 1907 between Sheffield Wednesday and Woolwich Arsenal.
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7th | Woolwich Arsenal | 38 | 20 | 4 | 14 | 66 | 59 | 1.12 | 44 |
| 8th | Manchester United | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 53 | 56 | 0.95 | 42 |
| 9th | Birmingham | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 52 | 52 | 1.00 | 38 |
| 10th | Sunderland | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 65 | 66 | 0.98 | 37 |
| 11th | Middlesbrough | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 56 | 63 | 0.89 | 36 |
| 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 | [5] | ||||||||
Appearances and goals
- This table includes appearances and goals in nationally organised competitive matches – the Football League and FA Cup – only.
- For a description of the playing positions, see Formation (association football)#2–3–5 (Pyramid).
- Players marked † left the club during the playing season.
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 1906–1907: Results". Statto Organisation. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- Source for lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 258–59. Note that attendance figures are estimated.
- Source for kit: "Birmingham City". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
Specific
- ^ "Birmingham Again Victorious". Birmingham Daily Post. 24 December 1905.
- ^ Inglis, Simon (1996). Football Grounds of Britain (3rd ed.) London: CollinsWillow. p. 44. ISBN 0-00-218426-5.
- ^ Inglis, p. 45.
- ^ a b "News Summary". Birmingham Daily Post. p. 4. 27 December 1906.
- ^ "Birmingham City 1906–1907: English Division One (old) Table" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 22 May 2012.