1955–56 Birmingham City F.C. season explained

Club:Birmingham City F.C.
Season:1955–56
Manager:Arthur Turner
Chairman:Harry Morris Jr
Stdtitle:Ground
Stadium:St Andrew's
League:Football League First Division
League Result:6th
Cup1:FA Cup
Cup1 Result:Runners-up
(eliminated by Manchester City)
Cup2:Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Cup2 Result:Group stage
Season Topscorer:Eddy Brown (29)
Highest Attendance:48,000 vs Preston North End, 3 September 1955
Lowest Attendance:23,800 vs Sheffield United, 24 December 1955
Average Attendance:32,207
Pattern La1:_whiteborder
Pattern B1:_whitecollarplain
Pattern Ra1:_whiteborder
Pattern So1:_hoops_white
Leftarm1:000099
Body1:000099
Rightarm1:000099
Shorts1:FFFFFF
Socks1:000099
Prevseason:1954–55
Nextseason:1956–57

The 1955–56 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 53rd in the Football League and their 29th in the First Division, having been promoted as Second Division champions in 1954–55. They finished in a club-record sixth position in the 22-team division. They entered the 1955–56 FA Cup in the third round proper and reached the Final for only the second time, despite being drawn to play away from home in each round, the first time this had occurred.[1] They lost 3–1 to Manchester City in a match remembered for City's goalkeeper Bert Trautmann playing the last 25 minutes with a broken neck.

Birmingham City became the first English club side to take part in European competition when they played their first group game in the 1955–58 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup on 16 May 1956,[2] a goalless draw away at Inter Milan. The competition lasted over three English seasons with the final not played until 1958.[3] Invitations to enter the Fairs Cup, a tournament set up to promote industrial trade fairs, were extended to the city hosting the trade fair rather than to clubs. Some cities entered a select team including players from more than one club, but Aston Villa, the other major club based in the city of Birmingham, rejected the opportunity to field a combined team.[4]

Twenty-four players made at least one appearance in nationally or internationally organised first-team competition, and there were thirteen different goalscorers. Goalkeeper Gil Merrick and forwards Eddy Brown and Peter Murphy played in 46 of the 50 first-team matches over the season, and Brown finished as leading goalscorer with 29 goals in all competitions, of which 21 were scored in the league.

Football League First Division

See main article: 1955–56 Football League.

Note that not all teams completed their playing season on the same day. Birmingham were in fourth position after their last game of the season, on 21 April, but by the time the last game was played, on 2 May, they were sixth, having been overtaken by Manchester City and Arsenal.

DateLeague
position		OpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A		ScorersAttendance
20 August 19558thManchester UnitedHstyle=background:#ffcD2–2Kinsey, Astall37,612
24 August 19557thNewcastle UnitedAstyle=background:#ffcD2–2Murphy, Astall34,473
27 August 19554thSheffield UnitedAstyle=background:#cfcW3–0Brown, Kinsey, Murphy23,299
31 August 19552ndNewcastle UnitedHstyle=background:#cfcW3–1Brown, Murphy, Warhurst38,369
3 September 19558thPreston North EndHstyle=background:#fccL0–347,014
5 September 19555thAston VillaAstyle=background:#ffcD0–056,935
10 September 195510thBurnleyAstyle=background:#fccL2–3Kinsey, Astall22,808
17 September 195512thLuton TownHstyle=background:#ffcD0–031,013
21 September 195510thAston VillaHstyle=background:#ffcD2–2Brown, Astall32,642
24 September 195513thCharlton AthleticAstyle=background:#fccL0–221,912
1 October 195510thTottenham HotspurHstyle=background:#cfcW3–0Brown, Murphy, Clarke og31,320
8 October 195512thSunderlandHstyle=background:#fccL1–2Hudgell og37,946
15 October 195510thPortsmouthAstyle=background:#cfcW5–0Brown 3, Kinsey, Govan28,952
22 October 19557thManchester CityHstyle=background:#cfcW4–3Lane, Murphy, Govan, Boyd28,398
29 October 195510thWolverhampton WanderersAstyle=background:#fccL0–147,006
5 November 19558thChelseaHstyle=background:#cfcW3–0Astall 2, Boyd30,499
12 November 195511thBlackpoolAstyle=background:#fccL0–221,967
19 November 19558thHuddersfield TownHstyle=background:#cfcW5–0Brown 2, Murphy, Astall, Warhurst24,841
26 November 195510thCardiff CityAstyle=background:#fccL1–2Brown23,638
3 December 19557thArsenalHstyle=background:#cfcW4–0Kinsey 2, Brown, Astall35,765
10 December 19559thBolton WanderersAstyle=background:#fccL0–615,793
17 December 195510thManchester UnitedAstyle=background:#fccL1–2Brown27,936
24 December 195513thSheffield UnitedHstyle=background:#fccL0–223,822
26 December 195513thEvertonHstyle=background:#cfcW6–2Brown 2, Kinsey 3, Govan25,541
27 December 195515thEvertonAstyle=background:#fccL1–5Astall42,236
31 December 195514thPreston North EndAstyle=background:#ffcD1–1Astall25,834
14 January 195616thBurnleyHstyle=background:#fccL1–2Kinsey27,388
21 January 195616thLuton TownAstyle=background:#cfcW1–0Brown18,970
4 February 195614thCharlton AthleticHstyle=background:#cfcW4–0Brown 3, Kinsey24,447
11 February 195611thTottenham HotspurAstyle=background:#cfcW1–0Astall26,141
25 February 19569thPortsmouthHstyle=background:#cfcW3–2Kinsey 2, Brown31,955
7 March 19568thHuddersfield TownAstyle=background:#cfcW3–2Brown9,224
10 March 19568thWolverhampton WanderersHstyle=background:#ffcD0–045,161
21 March 19566thChelseaAstyle=background:#cfcW2–1Kinsey, Govan12,637
24 March 19567thBlackpoolHstyle=background:#fccL1–2Murphy47,933
31 March 195610thManchester CityAstyle=background:#ffcD1–1Murphy44,777
2 April 19568thWest Bromwich AlbionHstyle=background:#cfcW2–0Brown, Murphy38,891
3 April 19564thWest Bromwich AlbionAstyle=background:#cfcW2–0Murphy 235,858
7 April 19563rdCardiff CityHstyle=background:#cfcW2–1Brown, Baker og37,154
14 April 19566thArsenalAstyle=background:#fccL0–131,775
18 April 19567thSunderlandAstyle=background:#fccL0–114,824
21 April 19564thBolton WanderersHstyle=background:#cfcW5–2Kinsey, Warmington, Astall, Wheeler 2 ogs29,640

League table (part)

Pos!scope="col"
ClubPldWDLFAGAPts
4thManchester City4218101482691.1946
5thArsenal4218101460610.9846
6thBirmingham City421891575571.3245
7thBurnley421881664541.1944
8thBolton Wanderers421871771581.2243
KeyPos = 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[5]

FA Cup

See main article: 1955–56 FA Cup and 1956 FA Cup Final.

RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A		ScorersAttendance
Third round7 January 1956Torquay UnitedAstyle=background:#cfcW7–1Astall, Brown 3, Kinsey, Murphy 218,730
Fourth round28 January 1956Leyton OrientAstyle=background:#cfcW4–0Brown 2, Murphy, Finney24,727
Fifth round18 February 1956West Bromwich AlbionAstyle=background:#cfcW1–0Murphy57,213
Sixth round3 March 1956ArsenalAstyle=background:#cfcW3–1Astall, Murphy, Brown67,872
Semi-final17 March 1956SunderlandHillsborough, Sheffieldstyle=background:#cfcW3–0Kinsey, Astall, Brown65,107
Final5 May 1956Manchester CityWembley, Londonstyle=background:#fccL1–3Kinsey98,982

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

See main article: 1955–58 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A		ScorersAttendance
Group B15 May 1956InternazionaleAstyle=background:#ffcD0–08,000
Group B24 May 1956Zagreb XIAstyle=background:#cfcW1–0Brown12,000

Appearances and goals

Players marked left the club during the playing season.

Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; FB – Full back; HB – Half back; FW – Forward

Players' appearances and goals by competition
NameLeagueFA CupFairs CupTotal
GoalsGoalsGoalsGoals
data-sort-value=1GK3806020460
data-sort-value=1GK40000040
data-sort-value=2FB20001030
data-sort-value=2FB1601020190
data-sort-value=2FB2806010350
data-sort-value=2FB3806000440
data-sort-value=2FB20000020
data-sort-value=3HB3236010393
data-sort-value=3HB60000060
data-sort-value=3HB1401020170
data-sort-value=3HB3006000360
data-sort-value=3HB3024010352
data-sort-value=3HB21001031
data-sort-value=3HB1000010110
data-sort-value=4FW391263004515
data-sort-value=4FW10000010
data-sort-value=4FW382167214629
data-sort-value=4FW30002050
data-sort-value=4FW1002110131
data-sort-value=4FW3643010404
data-sort-value=4FW10000010
data-sort-value=4FW341563204218
data-sort-value=4FW1011010121
data-sort-value=4FW381165204616

See also

References

General

Specific

Notes and References

  1. News: Every Prospect of a Good Final . The Times . London . 4 . 5 May 1956.
  2. Most sources give the match date as 15 May, but Birmingham City confirm it was a day later. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20110407101729/http://www.bcfc.com/page/BluesInEurope/0%2C%2C10412~2069326%2C00.html . Blues in Europe – Part One 1956–1958 . Birmingham City F.C . 7 April 2011 . dead .
  3. The London XI, a representative side made up of players from several London clubs, were the first English team when they played their first group game in 1955.
    Web site: European Champions' Cup 1955–56 – Details . 28 March 2007 . Antonio . Zea . . 29 March 2012.
    Web site: Fairs' Cup 1955–58 . 16 March 2010 . Zea . Antonio . Haisma . Marcel . amp . . 2 October 2009 .
  4. Book: Radnedge, Keir . The Complete Encyclopedia of Football . Inter-Cities Fairs/UEFA Cup . 200 . Carlton Books . 1998 . 978-1-85833-979-5.
    Book: Goodyear . David . Matthews . Tony . amp . Aston Villa A Complete Record 1875–1988 . Breedon Books . Derby . 1988 . 0-907969-37-2 . At this time there seemed a general lack of ambition at Villa Park. The club were slow to install floodlights, they turned down the chance of combining with Blues to field a 'Birmingham' team for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup....
  5. Web site: Birmingham City 1955–1956: English Division One (old) Table . Statto Organisation . 3 May 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304003641/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/birmingham-city/1955-1956/table . 4 March 2016 . dead . dmy-all .

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