1926–27 Birmingham F.C. season

Birmingham F.C.
1926–27 season
Chairman	Howard Cant
Manager	Billy Beer until March 1927 Bill Harvey thereafter
Ground	St Andrew's
Football League First Division	17th
FA Cup	Fourth round (eliminated by Southampton)
Top goalscorer	League: Joe Bradford (22); All: Joe Bradford (23)
Highest home attendance	48,104 vs Aston Villa, 30 October 1926
Lowest home attendance	6,321 vs Bolton Wanderers, 4 April 1927
Average home league attendance	22,030
	Home colours
	Home colours
	← 1925–26 1927–28 →

The 1926–27 Football League season was Birmingham Football Club's 31st in the Football League and their 14th in the First Division. They finished in 17th position in the 22-team division. They also competed in the 1926–27 FA Cup, entering at the third round proper and losing to Southampton in the fourth.

Twenty-seven players made at least one appearance in nationally organised competition, and there were ten different goalscorers. Half-back George Liddell and forward George Briggs played in 43 of the 44 matches over the season, and Joe Bradford was leading scorer for the sixth successive year, with 23 goals, of which 22 came in the league.

Off the field, the club was in some turmoil regarding transfer policy. In early March 1927, three members of the board of directors resigned. The Sports Argus' editorial suggested that one faction were "anxious to secure talent at almost any price" and the other "desirous with 'going slow' as its motto", and believed that "the former are now in the ascendancy and that they mean business".^[1] A few days later, Billy Beer resigned as manager. The Argus was disappointed:

Managers are in a peculiar position. They have many masters to serve and to please them all is impossible. Mr. Beer has discovered this, and ... has cleared out. I am sorry, because, frankly, I thought he would make a good job of his task if given the opportunity.^[2]

It was reported later that Beer had found it impossible to work with some members of the board, so had tendered his resignation, if that was thought to be in the best interests of the club, and was less than happy with the treatment he had received.^[3]

Football League First Division

Date	League position	Opponents	Venue	Result	Score F–A	Scorers	Attendance
28 August 1926	3rd	Blackburn Rovers	H	W	3–1	Briggs, Bradford 2	24,091
30 August 1926	11th	Leicester City	A	L	2–5	Bradford, Harris	23,883
4 September 1926	6th	Huddersfield Town	A	W	2–0	Bradford 2	19,893
11 September 1926	4th	Sunderland	H	W	2–0	Briggs 2	28,035
13 September 1926	4th	Sheffield Wednesday	H	D	0–0		13,676
18 September 1926	2nd	West Bromwich Albion	A	W	2–1	Briggs 2	26,697
20 September 1926	1st	Everton	H	W	1–0	Briggs	11,411
25 September 1926	2nd	Bury	H	D	2–2	Briggs 2	24,006
2 October 1926	2nd	Bolton Wanderers	A	L	0–1		20,006
9 October 1926	10th	Tottenham Hotspur	A	L	1–6	Bradford	29,392
16 October 1926	7th	Derby County	H	W	1–0	Harris	23,145
23 October 1926	4th	Manchester United	A	W	1–0	Harris	32,010
30 October 1926	7th	Aston Villa	H	L	1–2	Crosbie	48,104
6 November 1926	8th	Cardiff City	A	L	0–1		10,598
13 November 1926	6th	Burnley	H	W	1–0	Bradford	11,208
20 November 1926	8th	Newcastle United	A	L	1–5	Briggs	30,056
27 November 1926	7th	Leeds United	H	W	2–0	Harris, Bradford	19,707
4 December 1926	9th	Liverpool	A	L	1–2	Briggs	27,884
11 December 1926	9th	Arsenal	H	D	0–0		22,982
18 December 1926	9th	Sheffield United	A	L	3–4	Briggs, Harris, Bradford	19,093
25 December 1926	10th	West Ham United	A	L	0–1		27,984
27 December 1926	12th	West Ham United	H	L	0–2		39,204
1 January 1927	12th	Leicester City	H	W	2–1	Bradford 2	31,275
15 January 1927	15th	Blackburn Rovers	A	L	2–3	Islip, Scriven	10,176
22 January 1927	15th	Huddersfield Town	H	L	1–3	Thirlaway	16,779
5 February 1927	15th	West Bromwich Albion	H	W	1–0	Bradford	29,681
12 February 1927	16th	Bury	A	L	1–3	Islip	11,958
16 February 1927	16th	Sunderland	A	L	1–4	Briggs	10,525
26 February 1927	16th	Tottenham Hotspur	H	W	1–0	Cringan	21,145
5 March 1927	17th	Derby County	A	L	1–4	Crosbie	15,154
12 March 1927	16th	Manchester United	H	W	4–0	Bradford 2, Crosbie, Scriven	14,392
19 March 1927	18th	Aston Villa	A	L	2–4	Bond, Scriven	49,334
2 April 1927	18th	Burnley	A	W	2–0	Bradford, Crosbie	12,679
4 April 1927	13th	Bolton Wanderers	H	W	6–1	Crosbie 2, Bradford, Briggs, Scriven, Cringan	6,321
9 April 1927	12th	Newcastle United	H	W	2–0	Bradford, Bond	27,918
16 April 1927	13th	Leeds United	A	L	1–2	Bradford	18,703
18 April 1927	16th	Everton	A	L	1–3	Taylor og	32,880
19 April 1927	15th	Sheffield Wednesday	A	D	4–4	Scriven, Bradford, Liddell, Briggs	17,720
23 April 1927	12th	Liverpool	H	W	3–0	Briggs, Bradford, Bond	14,918
27 April 1927	13th	Cardiff City	H	L	1–2	Bradford	23,681
30 April 1927	16th	Arsenal	A	L	0–3		22,619
7 May 1927	17th	Sheffield United	H	L	2–3	Bradford, Briggs	10,951

League table (part)

Final First Division table (part)
Pos	Club	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts
15th	Manchester United	42	13	14	15	52	64	0.81	40
16th	Sheffield Wednesday	42	15	9	18	65	92	0.81	39
17th	Birmingham	42	17	4	21	64	73	0.88	38
18th	Blackburn Rovers	42	15	8	19	77	96	0.80	38
19th	Blackburn Rovers	42	12	12	18	68	77	0.88	36
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	^[4]

FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponents	Venue	Result	Score F–A	Scorers	Attendance
Third round	8 January 1927	Manchester City	H	W	4–1	Bradford, Islip, Crosbie, Briggs	39,503
Fourth round	29 January 1927	Southampton	A	L	1–4	Briggs	15,804

Appearances and goals

This table includes appearances and goals in nationally organised competitive matches – the Football League and FA Cup – only.

For a description of the playing positions, see Formation (association football)#2–3–5 (Pyramid).

Players marked † left the club during the playing season.

Players' appearances and goals by competition
Name	Position	League		FA Cup		Total
Name	Position	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Harry Hibbs	Goalkeeper	1	0	0	0	1	0
William Owen	Goalkeeper	5	0	1	0	6	0
Dan Tremelling	Goalkeeper	36	0	1	0	37	0
Percy Barton	Full back	30	0	1	0	31	0
Harry Bruce	Full back	3	0	0	0	3	0
Harry Isherwood	Full back	1	0	0	0	1	0
Jack Jones	Full back	14	0	2	0	16	0
Joe Smith	Full back	17	0	0	0	17	0
Frank Womack	Full back	26	0	2	0	28	0
Jimmy Cringan	Half back	35	2	2	0	37	2
Dickie Dale	Half back	29	0	1	0	30	0
Bill Hunter †	Half back	6	0	0	0	6	0
Alec Leslie	Half back	7	0	0	0	7	0
George Liddell	Half back	41	1	2	0	43	1
Edmund Wood	Half back	1	0	0	0	1	0
Benny Bond	Forward	19	3	1	0	20	3
Joe Bradford	Forward	34	22	2	1	36	23
George Briggs	Forward	41	16	2	2	43	18
Frederick Castle	Forward	1	0	0	0	1	0
Johnny Crosbie	Forward	39	6	2	1	41	7
Wally Harris	Forward	22	5	0	0	22	5
Edmund Harvey	Forward	1	0	0	0	1	0
Ernie Islip	Forward	7	2	2	1	9	3
Alf Oakes	Forward	1	0	0	0	1	0
Jack Russell	Forward	6	0	0	0	6	0
Aubrey Scriven	Forward	17	5	0	0	17	5
Billy Thirlaway †	Forward	22	1	1	0	23	1

References

General

Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Breedon Books (Derby). ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
Matthews, Tony (2010). Birmingham City: The Complete Record. DB Publishing (Derby). ISBN 978-1-85983-853-2.
Source for match dates and results: "Birmingham City 1926–1927: Results". Statto Organisation. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
Source for lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 294–95.
Source for kit: "Birmingham City". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

Specific

^ 'Argus Junior' (5 March 1927). "Leaves of my Notebook". Sports Argus (Birmingham): p.1.
^ 'Argus Junior' (12 March 1927). "The Sands of the Hour-Glass". Sports Argus (Birmingham): p.1.
^ 'Argus Junior' (2 April 1927). "The Sands of the Hour-Glass". Sports Argus (Birmingham): p.1.
^ "Birmingham City 1926–1927: English Division One (old) Table" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 12 May 2012.

[1] 'Argus Junior' (5 March 1927). "Leaves of my Notebook". Sports Argus (Birmingham): p.1.

[2] 'Argus Junior' (12 March 1927). "The Sands of the Hour-Glass". Sports Argus (Birmingham): p.1.

[3] 'Argus Junior' (2 April 1927). "The Sands of the Hour-Glass". Sports Argus (Birmingham): p.1.

[LeagueTable-4] "Birmingham City 1926–1927: English Division One (old) Table" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 12 May 2012.

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