1938–39 Birmingham F.C. season
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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.[a]
| 1938–39 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Harry Morris Jr |
| Manager | George Liddell |
| Ground | St Andrew's |
| Football League First Division | 21st (relegated) |
| FA Cup | Fifth round (eliminated by Everton) |
| Top goalscorer | League: Fred Harris (14) All: Fred Harris (17) |
| Highest home attendance | 67,341[a] vs Everton, FA Cup 5th round, 11 February 1939 |
| Lowest home attendance | 8,970 vs Huddersfield Town, 29 March 1939 |
| Average home league attendance | 25,228 |
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.
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18th | Brentford | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 53 | 74 | 0.72 | 36 |
| 19th | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 58 | 64 | 0.91 | 35 |
| 20th | Chelsea | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 64 | 80 | 0.80 | 33 |
| 21st | Birmingham | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 62 | 84 | 0.74 | 32 |
| 22nd | Leicester City | 42 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 48 | 82 | 0.58 | 29 |
| 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] | ||||||||
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.
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]
- ^ a b 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.
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
- ^ "Birmingham City Records". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
- ^ Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2010). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2010–2011. Headline. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-7553-6107-6.
- ^ "Club History". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Matthews (2010), Complete Record, p. 318.
- ^ "Fifth round official figures". The Times. London. 13 February 1939. p. 5.
- ^ Felton, Paul. "Season 1939–40 (Abandoned)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 13 May 2012.
- ^ "Birmingham City 1938–1939: English Division One (old) Table". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- ^ "Casualty details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 13 May 2012.