The 1978–79 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 76th in the Football League and their 45th in the First Division. They were in the bottom two positions in the 22-team division from 9 September onwards, eventually finishing 21st position, so were relegated to the Second Division for 1979–80. They lost in their opening matches in both the 1978–79 FA Cup and the League Cup, eliminated by Burnley and Southampton respectively.
Twenty-seven players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were thirteen different goalscorers. Defender Joe Gallagher played in every game but one over the season, and Alan Buckley was the club's top scorer with 8 goals, all scored in the league. Jim Smith, in his first full season as Birmingham's manager, brought Argentina's World Cup-winning full-back Alberto Tarantini to the club.
Trevor Francis, who joined Birmingham as a 15-year-old, became the first British footballer to be transferred for a fee of at least £1 million when Brian Clough signed him for league champions Nottingham Forest in February 1979. The basic fee was below £1m – Clough claimed in his autobiography to have set the fee at £999,999 because he did not want the idea of being the first £1m player going to Francis's head – but VAT and the transfer levy raised the total payable to £1.18m. Within three months he scored the winning goal in the 1979 European Cup Final.
Football League First Division
DateLeaguepositionOpponentsVenueResultScoreF–AScorersAttendance19 August 197819thManchester UnitedAL0–156,13922 August 197821stMiddlesbroughHL1–3Bertschin24,40926 August 197820thDerby CountyHD1–1Givens21,9732 September 197817thBolton WanderersAD2–2Francis 220,2849 September 197821stLiverpoolHL0–331,74016 September 197822ndNorwich CityAL0–415,70123 September 197821stChelseaHD1–1Givens18,45830 September 197822ndLeeds UnitedAL0–323,3317 October 197822ndManchester CityHL1–2Ainscow18,37814 October 197822ndTottenham HotspurAL0–141,23021 October 197822ndAston VillaHL0–136,14528 October 197822ndCoventry CityAL1–2Givens25,4294 November 197822ndWest Bromwich AlbionAL0–132,13011 November 197822ndManchester UnitedHW5–1Dillon, Buckley 2, Givens, Calderwood23,55018 November 197822ndDerby CountyAL1–2Givens24,72021 November 197822ndBolton WanderersHW3–0Dillon, Buckley, Jones og21,64325 November 197821stBristol CityHD1–1Tarantini21,1522 December 197821stSouthamptonAL0–118,9579 December 197821stEvertonHL1–3Buckley23,39116 December 197821stNottingham ForestAL0–125,22426 December 197822ndWolverhampton WanderersAL1–2Buckley26,87230 December 197822ndArsenalAL1–3Francis pen27,8773 February 197922ndChelseaAL1–2Bertschin22,51110 February 197922ndLeeds UnitedHL0–117,38813 February 197922ndLiverpoolAL0–135,20724 February 197922ndTottenham HotspurHW1–0Towers20,9803 March 197922ndAston VillaAL0–142,4196 March 197922ndQueens Park RangersHW3–1Buckley, Towers pen, Broadhurst12,60510 March 197922ndCoventry CityHD0–017,52824 March 197922ndMiddlesbroughAL1–2Givens15,01327 March 197921stNorwich CityHW1–0Givens12,16831 March 197921stBristol CityAL1–2Gallagher16,4533 April 197921stIpswich TownHD1–1Gallagher12,4497 April 197921stSouthamptonHD2–2Barrowclough 2 (1 pen)12,82514 April 197921stWolverhampton WanderersHD1–1Ainscow20,55617 April 197921stIpswich TownAL0–317,67721 April 197921stNottingham ForestHL0–222,18924 April 197921stWest Bromwich AlbionHD1–1Gallagher19,89728 April 197921stEvertonAL0–123,0481 May 197921stManchester CityAL1–3Lynex27,3665 May 197921stArsenalHD0–014,0157 May 197921stQueens Park RangersAW3–1Buckley 2, Dark9,600
League table (part)
+Final First Division table (part)Team18thWolverhampton Wanderers42138214468−243419thDerby County421011214471−273120thQueens Park Rangers42613234573−282521stBirmingham City42610263764−272222ndChelsea42510274592−4720
FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScoreF–AScorersAttendanceThird round6 January 1979BurnleyHL0–219,034
League Cup
RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScoreF–AScorersAttendanceSecond round29 August 1978SouthamptonHL2–5Gallagher, Francis18,464
Appearances and goals
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
+ Players' appearances and goals by competitionNameLeagueFA CupLeague CupTotalGoalsGoalsGoalsGoalsGK Neil Freeman2900000290GK Jimmy Montgomery1301010150DF Kevan Broadhurst13 (3)1101015 (3)1DF Jimmy Calderwood24 (1)1000024 (1)0DF Mark Dennis3101000320DF Joe Gallagher4131011434DF Pat Howard50000050DF Malcolm Page3201010350DF Garry Pendrey9 (1)0001010 (1)0DF Mick Rathbone 20000020DF Alberto Tarantini2311000241DF Pat Van Den Hauwe7 (1)000007 (1)0MF Alan Ainscow27 (4)2001028 (4)2MF Stewart Barrowclough26 (3)2001027 (3)2MF Trevor Dark2 (3)100002 (3)1MF Kevin Dillon36 (1)2100037 (1)2MF Gary Emmanuel 12 (1)0001013 (1)0MF Steve Fox 13 (1)0000013 (1)0MF Steve Lynex21000021MF Bruce Rioch *30000030MF Tony Towers31 (1)2100 (1)032 (2)2FW Keith Bertschin920 (1)01010 (1)2FW Malcolm Briggs0 (1)000000 (1)0FW Alan Buckley24 (4)8100025 (4)8FW Trevor Francis 8 (1)3101110 (1)4FW Don Givens38 (1)7101040 (1)7FW Paul Ivey3 (2)000003 (2)0
See also Birmingham City F.C. seasons
Sources
For match dates and results: For lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 392–93.
References