The 1984–85 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 82nd in the Football League and their 33rd in the Second Division, to which they were relegated in 1983–84. They finished in second position in the 22-team division, so were promoted back to the First Division after only one season. They entered the 1984–85 FA Cup in the third round proper, and lost to Norwich City in that round after three replays. They were eliminated from the League Cup by West Bromwich Albion in the third round after a replay.
| 1984–85 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Keith Coombs | |
| Manager | Ron Saunders | |
| Ground | St Andrew's | |
| Football League Second Division | 2nd (promoted) | |
| FA Cup | Third round (eliminated by Norwich City) | |
| League Cup | Third round (eliminated by West Bromwich Albion) | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Wayne Clarke (17) All: Wayne Clarke (19) | |
| Highest home attendance | 24,871 vs Leeds United, 11 May 1985 | |
| Lowest home attendance | 7,964 vs Plymouth Argyle, League Cup 2nd round, 25 September 1984 | |
| Average home league attendance | 12,522 | |
|
| ||
Wayne Clarke was the club's top scorer, with 19 goals in all competitions, of which 17 were scored in the league.
The last home game of the season, a 1–0 win against Leeds United in front of a season-high crowd of nearly 25,000 that confirmed promotion back to the top flight, was marred by rioting in which 500 people were injured and a 15-year-old boy died when a wall collapsed. The match took place on the same day as the Bradford City stadium fire, and both formed part of the remit of Mr Justice Popplewell's inquiry into safety at sports grounds.[1] According to his report, the events at St Andrew's "more clearly resembled the Battle of Agincourt than a football match".[2]
Football League First Division
edit| Date | League position |
Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 August 1984 | 6th | Oldham Athletic | A | W | 1–0 | Clements og | 5,307 |
| 1 September 1984 | 4th | Wimbledon | H | W | 4–2 | Clarke 2, Ferguson, Hopkins | 10,445 |
| 4 September 1984 | 2nd | Fulham | A | W | 1–0 | Clarke | 6,031 |
| 8 September 1984 | 2nd | Crystal Palace | A | W | 2–0 | Clarke, Hopkins | 6,523 |
| 15 September 1984 | 1st | Carlisle United | H | W | 2–0 | Clarke, Harford | 11,740 |
| 18 September 1984 | 1st | Portsmouth | H | L | 0–1 | 18,046 | |
| 22 September 1984 | 1st | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | W | 2–0 | Hopkins, Kuhl | 16,698 |
| 29 September 1984 | 1st | Huddersfield Town | H | W | 1–0 | Hopkins | 11,480 |
| 6 October 1984 | 1st | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | L | 0–2 | 13,695 | |
| 13 October 1984 | 4th | Blackburn Rovers | H | L | 0–2 | 12,758 | |
| 20 October 1984 | 4th | Notts County | A | W | 3–1 | Clarke 2, Harford | 5,788 |
| 27 October 1984 | 2nd | Oxford United | H | D | 0–0 | 20,421 | |
| 3 November 1984 | 3rd | Shrewsbury Town | H | D | 0–0 | 9,807 | |
| 10 November 1984 | 4th | Manchester City | A | L | 0–1 | 25,369 | |
| 17 November 1984 | 6th | Charlton Athletic | A | L | 1–2 | Morley | 4,850 |
| 24 November 1984 | 5th | Barnsley | H | D | 0–0 | 9,505 | |
| 1 December 1984 | 5th | Cardiff City | A | W | 2–1 | Morley 2 | 5,057 |
| 8 December 1984 | 5th | Middlesbrough | H | W | 3–2 | Saxby og, Rees, Wright pen | 8,004 |
| 15 December 1984 | 4th | Leeds United | A | W | 1–0 | Clarke | 15,859 |
| 22 December 1984 | 3rd | Wimbledon | A | W | 2–1 | Geddis 2 | 3,674 |
| 26 December 1984 | 2nd | Grimsby Town | H | W | 2–1 | Geddis, Platnauer | 14,180 |
| 29 December 1984 | 3rd | Fulham | H | D | 2–2 | Clarke, Hopkins | 11,833 |
| 1 January 1985 | 3rd | Sheffield United | A | W | 4–3 | Hopkins, Geddis, Clarke, West og | 16,571 |
| 2 February 1985 | 4th | Huddersfield Town | A | W | 1–0 | Geddis | 7,460 |
| 23 February 1985 | 4th | Shrewsbury Town | A | L | 0–1 | 7,177 | |
| 2 March 1985 | 3rd | Oxford United | A | W | 3–0 | Clarke 2, Geddis | 11,584 |
| 5 March 1985 | 3rd | Oldham Athletic | H | L | 0–1 | 10,489 | |
| 9 March 1985 | 2nd | Notts County | H | W | 2–1 | Clarke, Hopkins | 9,071 |
| 12 March 1985 | 2nd | Carlisle United | A | L | 1–2 | Clarke | 4,099 |
| 16 March 1985 | 5th | Blackburn Rovers | A | L | 1–2 | Rees | 10,595 |
| 19 March 1985 | 4th | Manchester City | H | D | 0–0 | 18,004 | |
| 23 March 1985 | 4th | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | D | 1–1 | Hopkins | 8,986 |
| 30 March 1985 | 3rd | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | W | 1–0 | Geddis | 10,236 |
| 5 April 1985 | 4th | Grimsby Town | A | L | 0–1 | 6,939 | |
| 8 April 1985 | 4th | Sheffield United | H | W | 4–1 | Clarke 2, Daly, Kennedy | 10,235 |
| 13 April 1985 | 2nd | Portsmouth | A | W | 3–1 | Geddis 3 | 23,983 |
| 16 April 1985 | 2nd | Crystal Palace | H | W | 3–0 | Clarke, Geddis, Kennedy | 10,727 |
| 20 April 1985 | 2nd | Charlton Athletic | H | W | 2–1 | Kennedy, Wright pen | 10,697 |
| 27 April 1985 | 2nd | Barnsley | A | W | 1–0 | Geddis | 6,757 |
| 4 May 1985 | 2nd | Cardiff City | H | W | 2–0 | Hopkins, Kennedy | 15,868 |
| 6 May 1985 | 2nd | Middlesbrough | A | D | 0–0 | 7,840 | |
| 11 May 1985 | 2nd | Leeds United | H | W | 1–0 | Kuhl | 24,871 |
League table (part)
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Oxford United | 42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 84 | 36 | +48 | 84 |
| 2nd | Birmingham City | 42 | 25 | 7 | 10 | 59 | 33 | +26 | 82 |
| 3rd | Manchester City | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 66 | 40 | +26 | 74 |
| 4th | Portsmouth | 42 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 69 | 50 | +19 | 74 |
| 5th | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 66 | 41 | +25 | 73 |
Results summary
edit| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 42 | 25 | 7 | 10 | 59 | 33 | +26 | 82 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 30 | 15 | +15 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 29 | 18 | +11 |
Source: [4]
FA Cup
edit| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Third round | 5 January 1985 | Norwich City | H | D | 0–0 | 12,941 | |
| Third round replay | 23 January 1985 | Norwich City | A | D | 1–1 aet |
Wright | 11,883 |
| Third round 2nd replay | 26 January 1985 | Norwich City | H | D | 1–1 aet |
Geddis | 11,755 |
| Third round 3rd replay | 28 January 1985 | Norwich City | A | L | 0–1 | 12,396 |
League Cup
edit| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second round 1st leg | 25 September 1984 | Plymouth Argyle | H | W | 4–1 | Clarke, Hopkins, Harford, Rees | 7,964 |
| Second round 2nd leg | 9 October 1984 | Plymouth Argyle | A | W | 1–0 | Clarke | 4,650 |
| Third round | 30 October 1984 | West Bromwich Albion | H | D | 0–0 | 17,616 | |
| Third round replay | 7 November 1984 | West Bromwich Albion | A | L | 1–3 | Shearer | 16,717 |
Appearances and goals
edit- Numbers in parentheses denote appearances made as a substitute.
- Players with name in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Birmingham.
- Players marked † left the club during the playing season.
- Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
| Pos. | Nat. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| GK |  ENG
|
Tony Coton † | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| GK |  IRL
|
Jim McDonagh * | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | ENG
|
Mark Prudhoe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| GK | ENG
|
David Seaman | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| DF |  SCO
|
Ken Armstrong | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| DF |  NIR
|
Jim Hagan | 21 (8) | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 (10) | 0 |
| DF | ENG
|
Ray Ranson | 28 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| DF | ENG
|
Brian Roberts | 41 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| DF |  WAL
|
Pat Van Den Hauwe † | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| DF | ENG
|
Billy Wright | 42 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 50 | 3 |
| MF | SCO
|
Des Bremner | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| MF | IRL
|
Gerry Daly | 29 (1) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 (1) | 1 |
| MF | ENG
|
Paul Gorman † | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| MF | ENG
|
Mick Halsall † | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 (1) | 0 |
| MF | ENG
|
Robert Hopkins | 39 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 10 |
| MF | ENG
|
Mark Jones | 9 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 10 (2) | 0 |
| MF | ENG
|
Martin Kuhl | 25 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 31 (2) | 2 |
| MF | ENG
|
Tony Morley * | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| MF | ENG
|
Nick Platnauer | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| MF | WAL
|
Byron Stevenson | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| MF | ENG
|
Stuart Storer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | ENG
|
Ian Brown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| FW | ENG
|
Wayne Clarke | 40 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 47 | 19 |
| FW | ENG
|
Mick Ferguson † | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| FW | ENG
|
David Geddis | 18 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 13 |
| FW | ENG
|
Mick Harford † | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 3 |
| FW | SCO
|
Andy Kennedy | 4 (3) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 (3) | 4 |
| FW | ENG
|
John Linford * | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 |
| FW | WAL
|
Tony Rees | 5 (4) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 1 | 6 (5) | 3 |
| FW | ENG
|
Guy Russell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | ENG
|
Peter Shearer | 2 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 (2) | 1 |
See also
editSources
edit- Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
- Matthews, Tony (2010). Birmingham City: The Complete Record. Derby: DB Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85983-853-2.
- For match dates, league positions and results: "Birmingham City 1984–1985: Results". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
- For lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 404–05.
References
edit- ^ Webster, Philip (25 July 1985). "Ban on visiting fans urged in judge's football safety report". The Times. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ^ Popplewell, Mr Justice (July 1985). Committee of Inquiry into Crowd Safety and Control at Sports Grounds Interim Report (Cmnd. 9585) (PDF). London: HMSO. 4.38. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ "Birmingham City 1984–1985 : English Division Two (old) Table". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ^ "Birmingham City league performance history". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 30 May 2024. Select content required via dropdown menus.