1960–61 Birmingham City F.C. season

The 1960–61 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 58th in the Football League and their 34th in the First Division. They finished in 19th position in the 22-team division for the second consecutive season. They entered the 1960–61 FA Cup in the third round proper and lost to Leicester City in the fifth round after a replay, and entered the inaugural season of the Football League Cup in the second round, losing to Plymouth Argyle in the third, again after a replay. In the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Birmingham beat Inter Milan both at home and away in the semi-final to reach their second consecutive final, but the competition schedule meant that the match itself was played in September and October 1962, well into the 1961–62 playing season.[1]

Birmingham City F.C.
1960–61 season
ChairmanHarry Morris, Jr
ManagerGil Merrick
GroundSt Andrew's
Football League First Division19th
FA CupFifth round
(eliminated by Leicester City)
Football League CupThird round
(eliminated by Plymouth Argyle)
Inter-Cities Fairs CupFinal
Top goalscorerLeague: Mike Hellawell, Jimmy Harris (10)
All: Jimmy Harris (17)
Highest home attendance41,656 vs Leicester City, FA Cup 5th round, 18 February 1961
Lowest home attendance15,015 vs Burnley, 27 April 1961
Average home league attendance25,751

Manager Gil Merrick, appointed to succeed Pat Beasley at the end of the 1959–60 season, brought in former Spanish international winger Emilio Aldecoa – the first Spaniard to play in the Football League – as coach.[2] Twenty-four players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were twelve different goalscorers. Full back Brian Farmer played in 54 of the 55 first-team matches over the season, and Jimmy Harris finished as leading goalscorer with 17 goals in all competitions; in the league, Harris and Mike Hellawell were joint top scorers, each with 10 goals.

Football League First Division
Main article: 1960–61 Football League
DateLeague
position		Opponents VenueResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
20 August 1960 8thBolton WanderersA D2–2Gordon, Hooper 20,543
24 August 1960 7thWest Bromwich AlbionA W2–1Rudd, Hooper 32,102
27 August 1960 9thSheffield WednesdayH D1–1Hooper 27,197
31 August 1960 4thWest Bromwich AlbionH W3–1Gordon, Astall, Williams og 37,811
3 September 1960 8thFulhamA L1–2Rudd 19,292
6 September 1960 11thArsenalA L0–2 20,065
10 September 1960 14thPreston North EndH L1–3Gordon 24,435
14 September 1960 10thArsenalH W2–0Stubbs 2 22,905
17 September 1960 11thBurnleyA L1–2Cummings og 20,749
24 September 1960 10thNottingham ForestH W3–1Gordon, Singer, Astall 26,659
1 October 1960 11thManchester CityA L1–2Singer 27,665
8 October 1960 14thWest Ham UnitedA L3–4Rudd, Hellawell 2 15,954
15 October 1960 11thChelseaH W1–0Hellawell 23,334
22 October 1960 13thAston VillaA L2–6Hellawell, Thomson og 44,722
29 October 1960 14thWolverhampton WanderersH L1–2Showell og 32,284
5 November 1960 15thBlackburn RoversA L0–2 13,463
12 November 1960 14thManchester UnitedH W3–1Gordon, Taylor, Neal 31,564
19 November 1960 14thTottenham HotspurA L0–6 46,010
26 November 1960 16thLeicester CityH L0–2 25,828
3 December 1960 14thBlackpoolA W2–1Hellawell 2 11,720
10 December 1960 17thEvertonH L2–4Neal, Stubbs 27,717
17 December 1960 17thBolton WanderersH D2–2Harris 2 19,051
24 December 1960 18thNewcastle UnitedA D2–2Hellawell, Neal 20,354
26 December 1960 17thNewcastle UnitedH W2–1Bloomfield, Hellawell 29,437
31 December 1960 17thSheffield WednesdayA L0–2 22,993
14 January 1961 14thFulhamH W1–0Singer 23,265
21 January 1961 13thPreston North EndA W3–2Bloomfield, Hellawell, Singer 7,667
11 February 1961 17thNottingham ForestA L0–1 23,541
25 February 1961 14thWest Ham UnitedH W4–2Harris 2 (1 pen), Bloomfield, Neal 16,856
4 March 1961 17thChelseaA L2–3Gordon, Astall 27,727
11 March 1961 17thAston VillaH D1–1Singer 41,656
18 March 1961 18thWolverhampton WanderersA L1–5Singer 23,835
22 March 1961 14thManchester CityH W3–2Harris pen, Bloomfield 2 18,092
25 March 1961 15thBlackburn RoversH D1–1Hellawell 19,301
31 March 1961 13thCardiff CityA W2–0Harris pen, Orritt 16,339
1 April 1961 16thEvertonA L0–1 31,872
3 April 1961 13thCardiff CityH W2–1Harris, Orritt 20,065
8 April 1961 14thTottenham HotspurH L2–3Harris 2 (1 pen) 40,961
15 April 1961 16thManchester UnitedA L1–4Foulkes og 28,376
22 April 1961 18thBlackpoolH L0–2 17,834
27 April 1961 18thBurnleyH L0–1 15,015
29 April 1961 19thLeicester CityA L2–3Harris, Singer 19,920

League table (part)
Final First Division table (part)
Pos Club Pld W D L F A GA Pts
17th Fulham421482072950.7636
18th Bolton Wanderers4212111958730.8035
19th Birmingham City421462262840.7434
20th Blackpool421292168730.9333
21st Newcastle United42111021861090.7932
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 [3]

FA Cup
Main article: 1960–61 FA Cup
Round DateOpponentsVenue ResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
Third round 7 January 1961Nottingham ForestA W2–0Singer 2 19,919
Fourth round 28 January 1961Rotherham UnitedH W4–0Singer 2, Neal, Harris 31,931
Fifth round 18 February 1961Leicester CityH D1–1Harris pen 53,589
Fifth round replay 22 February 1961Leicester CityA L1–2Harris 41,916

League Cup
Main article: 1960–61 Football League Cup
Round DateOpponentsVenue ResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
Second round 31 October 1960Bradford Park AvenueA W1–0Hellawell 4,736
Third round 14 November 1960Plymouth ArgyleH D0–0 15,313
Third round replay 16 November 1960Plymouth ArgyleA L1–3Wyatt og 14,132

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Main article: 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

In the semi-final, Birmingham beat Inter Milan both at home and away; no other English club was to beat them in a competitive match in the San Siro until Arsenal did so in the Champions League more than 40 years later.[4] Birmingham reached the final for the second consecutive season, having lost to Barcelona in 1960. The 1961 final was scheduled for late September and mid-October 1961, well into the 1961–62 playing season, by which time the first round of the 1961–62 competition would already be under way.

Round DateOpponentsVenue ResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
First round 1st leg 19 October 1960Újpesti DózsaH W3–2Gordon 2, Astall 23,381
First round 2nd leg 26 October 1960Újpesti DózsaA W2–1Rudd, Singer 25,000
Second round 1st leg 23 November 1960KB CopenhagenA D4–4Gordon 2, Singer 2 2,500
Second round 2nd leg 7 December 1960KB CopenhagenH W5–0Stubbs 2, Harris, Bloomfield, Hellawell 22,486
Semi-final 1st leg 19 April 1961Inter MilanA W2–1Harris, Balleri og 20,000
Semi-final 2nd leg 3 May 1961Inter MilanH W2–1Harris 2 29,530

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 League Cup Fairs Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
GK ENG Johnny Schofield 180001030220
GK ENG Colin Withers 240402030330
FB ENG George Allen 38[lower-alpha 1]0303060510
FB ENG Brian Farmer 410403060540
HB ENG Malcolm Beard 3000100040
HB ENG Winston Foster 2000000020
HB WAL Terry Hennessey 100000020120
HB ENG Dick Neal 394413060525
HB ENG Graham Sissons 14[lower-alpha 1]0101010160
HB ENG Trevor Smith 310402050420
HB ENG Johnny Watts 290403040400
FW ENG Gordon Astall 173201011214
FW SCO Bertie Auld 0000001010
FW ENG Ray Barlow 5000101070
FW ENG Jimmy Bloomfield 255401041346
FW ENG Johnny Gordon 2460020342910
FW ENG Jimmy Harris 20104300342717
FW ENG Mike Hellawell 28103031614012
FW ENG Harry Hooper 103000000103
FW WAL Bryan Orritt 122002020162
FW ENG Billy Rudd 183000021204
FW ENG Jimmy Singer 1874410332614
FW ENG Robin Stubbs 123001022155
FW ENG Brian Taylor 171302020241
FW ENG Don Weston 7000000070
  1. General source mistakenly includes Allen rather than Sissons in the team for the match against Blackburn in March.[5][6]

See also

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 1960–1961: Results". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  • Source for lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 356–57, 474.
  • Source for kit: "Birmingham City". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

Specific

  1. Zea, Antonio & Haisma, Marcel (2 October 2009). "Fairs' Cup 1960–61". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  2. Matthews (2010), p. 356.
    "Spanish Armada". The Football Association. 19 December 2006. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  3. "Birmingham City 1960–1961: English Division One (old) Table". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  4. "Arsenal routs Inter Milan". New York Times. Reuters. 25 November 2003. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  5. "Player search: Sissons, JG (Graham)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  6. "Birmingham are in confident mood". Sports Argus. Birmingham. 25 March 1961. p. 8.
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