| 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 byEverton) | |
| 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 vsHuddersfield Town, 29 March 1939 | |
| Average home league attendance | 25,228 | |
The1938–39 Football League season wasBirmingham Football Club's 43rd in theFootball League and their 26th in theFirst Division. They were in therelegation 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 theSecond Division for the 1939–40 season. They entered the1938–39 FA Cup at the third round proper and lost toEverton in the fifth round after areplay. 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]
Thirty-two players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were fifteen different goalscorers. Half-backDon Dearson played in 42 of the 46 matches over the season, andFred Harris was the leading scorer with 17 goals, of which 14 were scored in the league. Harry Morris, son of theHarry 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, the1939–40 Football League season was abandoned after three Second Division matches had been played.[7] The first post-war Football League season was in1946–47, though the FA Cup resumed aseason earlier.
| Date | League position | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 August 1938 | 14th | Sunderland | H | L | 1–2 | Jenningspen | 32,117 |
| 31 August 1938 | 20th | Leeds United | A | L | 0–2 | 13,578 | |
| 3 September 1938 | 22nd | Manchester United | A | L | 1–4 | Harris | 22,228 |
| 7 September 1938 | 20th | Leicester City | H | W | 2–1 | Kelly,Jones | 14,092 |
| 10 September 1938 | 21st | Stoke City | H | L | 1–2 | Harris | 26,519 |
| 12 September 1938 | 21st | Leicester City | A | L | 1–2 | Farrage | 10,778 |
| 17 September 1938 | 21st | Chelsea | A | D | 2–2 | Brownpen, Jones | 39,505 |
| 24 September 1938 | 22nd | Preston North End | H | L | 1–3 | Farrage | 26,221 |
| 1 October 1938 | 22nd | Charlton Athletic | A | D | 4–4 | Harris 2,Duckhouse,White | 20,039 |
| 8 October 1938 | 22nd | Bolton Wanderers | H | L | 0–2 | 21,855 | |
| 15 October 1938 | 20th | Derby County | H | W | 3–0 | White 2, Brown | 27,858 |
| 22 October 1938 | 22nd | Grimsby Town | A | L | 0–1 | 11,022 | |
| 29 October 1938 | 21st | Aston Villa | H | W | 3–0 | Harris 2, Brown | 55,301 |
| 5 November 1938 | 22nd | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | L | 1–2 | Phillips | 30,713 |
| 12 November 1938 | 21st | Everton | H | W | 1–0 | Phillips | 27,548 |
| 19 November 1938 | 21st | Huddersfield Town | A | L | 1–3 | Morris | 14,637 |
| 26 November 1938 | 20th | Portsmouth | H | W | 2–0 | Jenningspen,Dearson | 20,317 |
| 3 December 1938 | 21st | Arsenal | A | L | 1–3 | Jenningspen | 33,710 |
| 10 December 1938 | 19th | Brentford | H | W | 5–1 | White 4, Phillips | 23,333 |
| 17 December 1938 | 21st | Blackpool | A | L | 1–2 | White | 11,855 |
| 24 December 1938 | 22nd | Sunderland | A | L | 0–1 | 14,555 | |
| 26 December 1938 | 21st | Middlesbrough | H | W | 2–1 | Morris,Trigg | 17,953 |
| 27 December 1938 | 21st | Middlesbrough | A | D | 2–2 | Harris, Phillips | 33,534 |
| 31 December 1938 | 22nd | Manchester United | H | D | 3–3 | Jennings, Phillips, Dearson | 20,787 |
| 14 January 1939 | 22nd | Stoke City | A | L | 3–6 | Jenningspen, Harris, Duckhouse | 14,417 |
| 28 January 1939 | 22nd | Preston North End | A | L | 0–5 | 18,477 | |
| 4 February 1939 | 22nd | Charlton Athletic | H | L | 3–4 | Harris 3 | 29,727 |
| 18 February 1939 | 22nd | Derby County | A | W | 1–0 | Brown | 15,411 |
| 22 February 1939 | 22nd | Bolton Wanderers | A | L | 0–3 | 11,696 | |
| 25 February 1939 | 22nd | Grimsby Town | H | D | 1–1 | Craven | 23,231 |
| 4 March 1939 | 22nd | Aston Villa | A | L | 1–5 | Dearson | 40,874 |
| 11 March 1939 | 22nd | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | W | 3–2 | Harris, Morris, Jones | 48,970 |
| 18 March 1939 | 22nd | Everton | A | L | 2–4 | Harris, Jones | 29,867 |
| 29 March 1939 | 22nd | Huddersfield Town | H | D | 1–1 | Jones | 8,970 |
| 1 April 1939 | 22nd | Portsmouth | A | L | 0–2 | 21,918 | |
| 7 April 1939 | 22nd | Liverpool | A | L | 0–4 | 31,741 | |
| 8 April 1939 | 22nd | Arsenal | H | L | 1–2 | Kendrick | 33,250 |
| 10 April 1939 | 22nd | Liverpool | H | D | 0–0 | 15,067 | |
| 15 April 1939 | 22nd | Brentford | A | W | 1–0 | Jones | 15,298 |
| 22 April 1939 | 21st | Blackpool | H | W | 2–1 | Craven, Harris | 21,812 |
| 26 April 1939 | 21st | Chelsea | H | D | 1–1 | Brown | 28,637 |
| 29 April 1939 | 21st | Leeds United | H | W | 4–0 | Brown,Scaifeog, Morris 2 | 12,522 |
| 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] | ||||||||
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Third round | 7 January 1939 | Halifax Town | H | W | 2–0 | Jennings,Phillips | 23,522 |
| Fourth round | 21 January 1939 | Chelmsford City | H | W | 6–0 | Harris,Brown, Jennings,Madden 2 | 44,494 |
| Fifth round | 11 February 1939 | Everton | H | D | 2–2 | Madden 2 | 67,341 |
| Fifth round replay | 15 February 1939 | Everton | A | L | 1–2 | Harris | 64,796 |
| Name | Position | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Frank Clack | Goalkeeper | 24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Harry Hibbs | Goalkeeper | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Jack Wheeler | Goalkeeper | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Billy Hughes | Full back | 35 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| Willie Steel † | Full back | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Ernie Sykes | Full back | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Cyril Trigg | Full back | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| Norman Brunskill † | Half back | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Dick Butler † | Half back | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| James Bye | Half back | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Don Dearson | Half back | 39 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 3 |
| Wally Halsall | Half back | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Bob Meacock | Half back | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Dai Richards | Half back | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Jack Shaw | Half back | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Ray Shaw | Half back | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Arthur Turner | Half back | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Harold Bodle | Forward | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jackie Brown | Forward | 34 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 7 |
| Charlie Craven | Forward | 17 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 2 |
| Ted Duckhouse | Forward | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Tom Farrage | Forward | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Fred Harris | Forward | 37 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 41 | 17 |
| Dennis Jennings | Forward | 29 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 33 | 7 |
| Wilson Jones | Forward | 21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 6 |
| Jack Kelly | Forward | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Kenny Kendrick | Forward | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Owen Madden | Forward | 5 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 4 |
| Geoffrey Moreland † | Forward | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Seymour Morris | Forward | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 5 |
| Charlie Phillips | Forward | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 6 |
| Frank White † | Forward | 13 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 8 |
Birmingham began the1939–40 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 andTom Farrage. Farrage was killed in action in September 1944, serving as aprivate in the 10th Battalion, theParachute Regiment duringOperation Market Garden.[9]
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 August 1939 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | D | 1–1 | Brown | 28,366 |
| 30 August 1939 | Leicester City | H | W | 2–0 | Farrage,Sharmanog | 13,848 |
| 2 September 1939 | Burnley | H | W | 2–0 | Dearson,Duckhouse | 15,900 |
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