The1963 Football League Cup final, the third to be staged since the competition's inception, was contested between local rivalsBirmingham City andAston Villa over two legs. Aston Villa had won the inaugural competition in1960–61, and had beaten Birmingham 4–0 in their most recent League meeting,[1] while Birmingham were seeking to win their first major trophy. Birmingham won 3–1 onaggregate, with all the goals coming in the first leg.
The first leg took place on 23 May 1963 at Birmingham's home ground,St Andrew's. Birmingham took the lead when Harris fed Auld who crossed forKen Leek's powerful shot, but Aston Villa equalised viaBobby Thomson. Seven minutes into the second half, the same combination of players made it 2–1, and after 66 minutesJimmy Bloomfield met a Harris cross to score off the post to give Birmingham a 3–1 lead.[1]The second leg four days later atVilla Park was goalless. With formerEngland centre halfTrevor Smith marking Thomson out of the game[2] and Birmingham's defensive tactics including regularly kicking the ball out for throw-ins,[3] Aston Villa were unable to break their opponents down.
^abMatthews, Tony (1995).Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Breedon Books. p. 33.ISBN1-85983-010-2.
^Ponting, Ivan (15 September 2003)."Obituary: Trevor Smith".The Independent. London.Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved3 May 2022.
^Jawad, Hyder (6 March 2005).Strange Magic: Birmingham City v Aston Villa. The Birmingham Post. pp. 27–28.
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