1961–62 Birmingham City F.C. season

The 1961–62 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 59th in the Football League and their 35th in the First Division. They finished in 17th position in the 22-team division. They entered the 1961–62 FA Cup in the third round proper and lost in that round to Tottenham Hotspur after a replay, and entered the League Cup at the first round, again losing their opening match after a replay, this time against Swindon Town. Birmingham lost in the final of the 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in October 1961, and only a few weeks later, were eliminated from the 1961–62 competition in the second round by Espanyol.[1][2] This was Birmingham's last appearance in major European competition for nearly 50 years.

Birmingham City F.C.
1961–62 season
ChairmanHarry Morris, Jr
ManagerGil Merrick
GroundSt Andrew's
Football League First Division17th
FA CupThird round
(eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur)
Football League CupFirst round
(eliminated by Swindon Town)
1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs CupFinal
(eliminated by AS Roma)
1961–62 Inter-Cities Fairs CupSecond round
(eliminated by Espanyol)
Top goalscorerLeague: Ken Leek (18)
All: Jimmy Harris, Ken Leek (20)
Highest home attendance46,096 vs Tottenham Hotspur, FA Cup 3rd round, 6 January 1962
Lowest home attendance11,596 vs Swindon Town, League Cup 1st round, 13 September 1961
Average home league attendance25,751

Twenty-five players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were eleven different goalscorers. Forward Mike Hellawell played in all 50 first-team matches over the season (half back Malcolm Beard missed only one), and Ken Leek and Jimmy Harris finished as joint leading goalscorers with 20 goals in all competitions; Leek was top scorer in league competition with 18 goals.

Football League First Division
Main article: 1961–62 Football League
DateLeague
position		Opponents VenueResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
19 August 1961 4thFulhamH W2–1Harris, Bloomfield 25,387
22 August 1961 8thNottingham ForestA L1–2Harris 19,486
26 August 1961 17thSheffield WednesdayA L1–5Bloomfield 29,931
30 August 1961 19thNottingham ForestH D1–1Harris 21,095
2 September 1961 21stLeicester CityH L1–5Bloomfield 21,977
6 September 1961 20thWest Bromwich AlbionA D0–0 20,541
9 September 1961 21stIpswich TownA L1–4Singer 20,017
16 September 1961 22ndBurnleyH L2–6Bloomfield, Hellawell 18,764
20 September 1961 22ndWest Bromwich AlbionH L1–2Hellawell 23,931
23 September 1961 22ndArsenalA D1–1Harris pen 31,749
30 September 1961 22ndBolton WanderersH W2–1Bloomfield, Auld 17,214
7 October 1961 22ndWolverhampton WanderersH L3–6Harris 2 (1 pen), Bloomfield 29,159
14 October 1961 21stManchester UnitedA W2–0Orritt, Hellawell 30,674
21 October 1961 21stChelseaH W3–2Harris, Bloomfield 2 20,095
28 October 1961 19thAston VillaA W3–1Harris 2, Orritt 49,532
4 November 1961 17thBlackpoolH D1–1Orritt 21,450
11 November 1961 21stBlackburn RoversA L0–2 12,083
18 November 1961 19thWest Ham UnitedH W4–0Harris pen, Bloomfield, Orritt, Auld 20,682
25 November 1961 20thSheffield UnitedA L1–3Harris 16,838
2 December 1961 15thCardiff CityH W3–0Leek 2, Hellawell 20,959
9 December 1961 19thTottenham HotspurA L1–3Leek 32,509
16 December 1961 16thFulhamA W1–0Leek 12,730
23 December 1961 12thSheffield WednesdayH D1–1Leek 19,109
26 December 1961 13thManchester CityH D1–1Leek 21,926
13 January 1962 11thLeicester CityA W2–1Harris, Auld 22,691
20 January 1962 10thIpswich TownH W3–1Leek 2, Baker og 26,968
3 February 1962 11thBurnleyA L1–7Auld 24,047
10 February 1962 10thArsenalH W1–0Harris 27,797
17 February 1962 11thBolton WanderersA L2–3Leek, Auld 13,308
24 February 1962 14thWolverhampton WanderersA L1–2Leek 29,665
3 March 1962 13thManchester UnitedH D1–1Leek 25,817
9 March 1962 13thChelseaA D1–1Leek 23,959
17 March 1962 16thAston VillaH L0–2 43,489
24 March 1962 18thBlackpoolA L0–1 11,854
30 March 1962 16thBlackburn RoversH W2–1Leek, Hellawell 17,431
6 April 1962 14thWest Ham UnitedA D2–2Bloomfield, Leek 22,668
11 April 1962 14thManchester CityA W4–1Harris, Bloomfield, Leek, Hellawell 21,941
14 April 1962 14thSheffield UnitedH W3–0Harris 2 (1 pen), Hellawell 19,514
20 April 1962 14thEvertonA L1–4Leek 47,506
21 April 1962 17thCardiff CityA L2–3Leek 2 8,608
24 April 1962 17thEvertonH D0–0 21,910
28 April 1962 17thTottenham HotspurH L2–3Leek, Beard 29,614

League table (part)
Final First Division table (part)
Pos Club Pld W D L F A GA Pts
15th Manchester United421591872750.9639
16th Blackburn Rovers4214111750580.8639
17th Birmingham City4214101865810.8038
18th Wolverhampton Wanderers4213101973860.8536
19th Nottingham Forest4213101963790.8036
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: 1961–62 FA Cup
Round DateOpponentsVenue ResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
Third round 6 January 1962Tottenham HotspurH D3–3Harris 2, Leek 46,096
Third round replay 10 January 1962Tottenham HotspurA L2–4Harris, Leek 62,917

League Cup
Main article: 1961–62 Football League Cup
Round DateOpponentsVenue ResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
First round 13 September 1961Swindon TownH D1–1Neal 11,596
First round replay 25 September 1961Swindon TownA L0–2 13,063

1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Main articles: 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and 1961 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final

The final of the 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup took place in late September and mid-October 1961, when the first round of the 1961–62 competition was already under way. In the semi-final, Birmingham had beaten Inter Milan home and away; no other English club 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 played in the final for the second consecutive season, having lost to Barcelona in 1960. In the first leg, missed chances and poor defending allowed Roma to take a two-goal lead at St Andrew's, but second-half goals from Mike Hellawell and Bryan Orritt, whose late equaliser came after Jimmy Harris's shot rebounded from the crossbar, took Birmingham into the second leg on level terms. In front of a large crowd in the Stadio Olimpico, Roma won 2–0 to take the trophy 4–2 on aggregate.[5]

Round DateOpponentsVenue ResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
Final 1st leg 27 September 1961AS RomaH D2–2Hellawell, Orritt 21,005
Final 2nd leg 11 October 1961AS RomaA L0–2 50,000

1961–62 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Main article: 1961–62 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

As finalists in the previous season's competition, Birmingham were awarded a bye to the second round, in which they were drawn against Espanyol. They lost heavily in the first leg, in Barcelona, where Antonio Camps scored a hat-trick.[6] They won the ill-tempered return leg 1–0 with a goal from Bertie Auld, but four players, including Birmingham's Jimmy Harris and Auld himself, were sent off.[7]

Round DateOpponentsVenue ResultScore
F–A		Scorers Attendance
Second round 1st leg 15 November 1961EspanyolA L2–5Bloomfield, Harris pen 60,000
Second round 2nd leg 7 December 1961EspanyolH W1–0Auld 16,874

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 1960–61 Fairs Cup 1961–62 Fairs Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
GK ENG Johnny Schofield 35020202020430
GK ENG Colin Withers 700000000070
FB ENG George Allen 500010000060
FB ENG Brian Farmer 7[lower-alpha 1]000202000110
FB ENG Winston Foster 16000001000170
FB ENG Stan Lynn 21120000020251
FB ENG Graham Sissons 33020102020400
FB ENG Pat Wright 200000000020
HB ENG Malcolm Beard 42120202020501
HB WAL Terry Hennessey 34020102020410
HB ENG Dick Neal 600011000071
HB ENG Trevor Smith 39020201020460
HB ENG Johnny Watts 500000000050
FW SCO Bertie Auld 38520001021436
FW ENG Jimmy Bloomfield 3511002020114012
FW ENG Peter Bullock 100000000010
FW ENG Jimmy Harris 3916231020214620
FW ENG Mike Hellawell 42720202120508
FW WAL Ken Leek 2418220000102720
FW WAL Bryan Orritt 17420102120245
FW ENG Billy Rudd 200000000020
FW ENG Jimmy Singer 210010100041
FW ENG Robin Stubbs 700010000080
FW ENG Brian Taylor 300010000040
FW ENG Denis Thwaites 000010000010

See also

Notes
  1. General source mistakenly attributes Foster's appearance against Everton in April 1962 to Farmer, who had left the club three months earlier.[8][9]

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 1961–1962: Results". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  • Source for lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 358–59, 474–75.
  • 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 17 April 2012.
  2. Zea, Antonio & Haisma, Marcel (2 October 2009). "Fairs' Cup 1961–62". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  3. "Birmingham City 1961–1962: English Division One (old) Table". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  4. "Arsenal routs Inter Milan". New York Times. Reuters. 25 November 2003. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  5. Matthews (2010), p. 98.
  6. Matthews (2010), p. 46.
  7. "Four Players Sent Off". The Times. London. 8 December 1961. p. 5.
  8. "Player search: Farmer, FBW (Brian)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  9. Edwards, Leslie (24 April 1962). "West kept busy in Everton goal". Liverpool Echo – via BlueCorrespondent.co.uk.
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