History of Birmingham City F.C.

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The history of Birmingham City Football Club spans the period from 1875 to the present time. For detail on individual periods of the club's history, see one of the following articles:

Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club in Birmingham, England, which competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943.

History of Birmingham City F.C. (1875–1965) aspect of history

Birmingham City Football Club, an English association football club based in Birmingham, was founded as Small Heath Alliance in 1875, and from 1877 played home games at Muntz Street. It adopted professionalism in 1885, and three years later, as Small Heath F.C., became a limited company with a board of directors, the first football club so to do. The team played in the Football Alliance from the 1889–90 season, and in 1892, along with the other Alliance teams, were invited to join the newly formed Second Division of the Football League. Although they finished as champions, they failed to win promotion via the test match system; the following season promotion to the First Division was secured after a second-place finish and test match victory over Darwen. The club adopted the name Birmingham Football Club in 1905, and the following year moved into a new home, St Andrew's Ground. Matters on the field failed to live up to their surroundings. Birmingham were relegated in 1908, obliged to apply for re-election two years later, and remained in the Second Division until after the First World War.

Businessman Clifford Coombs took over as Birmingham chairman in 1965, and appointed Stan Cullis as manager. Cullis's attractive football took them to cup semi-finals, but league football needed a different approach. Successor Freddie Goodwin produced a team playing skilful, aggressive football that won promotion to the First Division as well as reaching an FA Cup semi-final. Two years later, the club raised money by selling Bob Latchford to Everton for a British record fee of £350,000, but without his goals the team struggled. In 1979, with relegation a certainty, the club sold Trevor Francis to Nottingham Forest, making him the first British player transferred for a fee of £1 million; Francis had scored 133 goals in 329 appearances over his nine years at Birmingham. Jim Smith took Birmingham back to the top tier, but a poor start to the 1981–82 season saw him replaced by Ron Saunders of league champions Aston Villa. The team still lacked goals, and were relegated in 1984. The last home game of the 1984–85 promotion season was marred by rioting and the death of a boy when a wall collapsed; the events formed part of the remit of the Popplewell inquiry into safety at sports grounds. Saunders quit after FA Cup defeat to non-League team Altrincham, staff were laid off, the training ground was sold, and by 1989 Birmingham were in the Third Division for the first time in their history.

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Birmingham City Football Club, an English association football club based in the city of Birmingham, was founded in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance. For their first thirteen years, there was no league football, so matches were arranged on an occasional basis, supplemented by cup competitions organised at both local and national level. In 1888, Small Heath joined the Combination, a league set up to provide organised football for those clubs not invited to join the Football League which was to start the same year. However, the Combination was not well organised, and folded in April 1889 with many fixtures still outstanding. Small Heath were founder members of the Football Alliance in 1889, and three years later were elected to the newly formed Second Division of the Football League. They topped the table in their first season, though failed to win promotion via the test match system then in operation, but reached the top flight for the first time in 1894. Since that time, they have not fallen below the third tier of the English football league system, and were promoted to the Premier League for the first time for the 2002–03 season.

The 1969–70 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 67th in the Football League and their 29th in the Second Division. They finished in 18th position in the 22-team division. They entered the 1969–70 FA Cup in the third round proper and the League Cup in the second round; they lost their opening match in each competition, to Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively.

The 1965–66 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 63rd in the Football League and their 25th in the Second Division, to which they were relegated in 1964–65. Having persuaded former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Stan Cullis out of retirement as successor to Joe Mallett, who remained with the club as Cullis's assistant, they finished in tenth position in the 22-team division. They entered the 1965–66 FA Cup in the third round proper and lost to Leicester City in the fourth, and were beaten in their opening second-round match in the League Cup by Mansfield Town.

The 1964–65 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 62nd in the Football League and their 38th in the First Division. Having replaced Gil Merrick as manager with coach Joe Mallett, newly arrived from Nottingham Forest, they finished bottom of the 22-team division so were relegated to the Second Division for the 1965–66 season. They lost their opening match in each of the cup competitions, to West Ham United in the third round proper of the 1964–65 FA Cup and to Chelsea in the second round of the League Cup.

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 were relegated 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.

The 1920–21 Football League season was Birmingham Football Club's 25th in the Football League and their 17th in the Second Division. Needing to beat Port Vale away on the last day of the season to maintain their position ahead of Cardiff City and clinch the division title for the second time, they did so, thus earning promotion to the First Division for the 1921–22 season. They also took part in the FA Cup, entering at the first round proper and losing in that round to Luton Town.

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