1945–46 Birmingham City F.C. season

The 1945–46 season was Birmingham City Football Club's first season played under that name in nationally-organised football. The club had been called Birmingham F.C. since 1905, and the City suffix was added in 1943. Although the Football League did not resume until the 1946–47 season, the FA Cup restarted in 1945. Birmingham reached the semi-final, in which they lost to Derby County after extra time in a replay, played at Maine Road, Manchester, in front of 80,407 spectators. In league competition, Birmingham were champions of the first and only edition of the Football League South, taking the title on goal average from local rivals Aston Villa.

Twenty-four players made at least one Football League South appearance, though only twelve appeared regularly, the remaining twelve making just 36 appearances between them. Full-back Dennis Jennings missed only one of the 42 matches over the season. Charlie Wilson Jones was the leading scorer with 20 goals in league competition. In the FA Cup, the same eleven players were selected for all the ties, apart from Sid King replacing Gil Merrick in goal for two of the ten matches.

Football League South

The Football League North and South were set up as a precursor to the resumption of the Football League proper the following season. They included those teams playing in the First and Second Divisions in the 1939–40 Football League season abandoned when war broke out, divided on a regional basis. Because registration rules had not been strictly observed during the war, and with many players still away on military service, teams were permitted to field guest players.

On the last day of the season, Aston Villa had already completed their fixtures. Both Birmingham and Charlton Athletic were two points behind them with a game to play and a superior goal average. In the event, Birmingham won 3–0 away at Luton Town to finish level on points with Aston Villa with a better goal average. Charlton were 1–0 ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers when they heard that Birmingham had scored twice, so they needed another goal to overhaul them on goal average. They went on an all-out attack, but Wanderers' Dicky Dorsett broke away to score, thus confirming Charlton in third place. According to the Birmingham Evening Despatchs "Argus Junior",

DateOpponentsVenueResultScoreF–AScorers25 August 1945West Ham UnitedHL0–11 September 1945West Ham UnitedAL2–3Massart, Edwards3 September 1945Luton TownHW3–2Dougall, Bodle8 September 1945West Bromwich AlbionHW4–0Edwards, Mulraney, Duckhouse, Jones15 September 1945West Bromwich AlbionAD0–017 September 1945Coventry CityAW3–2Bodle, Duckhouse, Mulraney22 September 1945Swansea TownAW4–2Mulraney, Dougall, Massart 229 September 1945Swansea TownHW5–0Bodle 2, Duckhouse, Jones, Mulraney6 October 1945Tottenham HotspurHW8–0Duckhouse, Massart 2, Dougall, Bodle, Edwards, Mulraney 213 October 1945Tottenham HotspurAW1–0Mulraney20 October 1945BrentfordAL1–2White27 October 1945BrentfordHW1–0Massart3 November 1945ChelseaHW5–2Bodle 2, Jones, Turner pen, Edwards10 November 1945ChelseaAW3–2Jones 2, Turner pen17 November 1945MillwallAL1–5Jones24 November 1945MillwallHW4–0Bodle, Jones, Edwards 21 December 1945SouthamptonAD1–1Duckhouse8 December 1945SouthamptonHW4–0Bodle 2, Duckhouse, Edwards15 December 1945Derby CountyAW2–0Edwards, Jones22 December 1945Derby CountyHW1–0Bodle25 December 1945Leicester CityHW6–2Jones 2, Dougall, Bodle, Edwards, Mulraney26 December 1945Leicester CityAW1–0Mulraney29 December 1945Coventry CityHW2–0Edwards, Dougall12 January 1946Aston VillaAD2–2Dearson, Dougall19 January 1946Aston VillaHW3–1Jones 2, Mulraney2 February 1946ArsenalAW3–0Jones, Edwards 216 February 1946Charlton AthleticHW1–0Jones23 February 1946FulhamHW2–0Laing, White13 March 1946ArsenalHL0–116 March 1946Plymouth ArgyleHL0–130 March 1946PortsmouthAW4–3Mulraney, Jones, Dougall, Bodle1 April 1946Plymouth ArgyleAW3–2Jones 36 April 1946Nottingham ForestAL0–110 April 1946PortsmouthHW1–0Jones13 April 1946Nottingham ForestHW3–1Bodle, Jones, Harris15 April 1946FulhamAL2–3Dougall 219 April 1946Newport CountyHW3–2Mulraney, Massart 220 April 1946Wolverhampton WanderersAD3–3Bodle, Edwards, Harris22 April 1946Newport CountyAW1–0Massart27 April 1946Wolverhampton WanderersHL0–129 April 1946Charlton AthleticAD0–04 May 1946Luton TownAW3–0Bodle, Mitchell pen, Mulraney

League table (part)

FA Cup

From the first round proper to the sixth round of the 1945–46 FA Cup, the first edition of the competition to be completed since war broke out, matches were played over two legs. Birmingham defeated Portsmouth, Watford, Sunderland and Bradford Park Avenue to reach the semi-final, in which they drew with Derby County at Hillsborough, Sheffield, in front of 65,000 spectators. In a match that "did not produce a great deal of high-class play [but] was very keenly contested", Raich Carter opened the scoring from Derby's first attack, Jock Mulraney "hit the angle of bar and post with a glorious shot from twenty yards", and the same player equalised early in the second half "after one of the best movements of the game".

The replay, at Maine Road, Manchester, attracted huge interest. The second half of the match was scheduled for live radio broadcast, and the gates were closed on safety grounds about an hour before kickoff, with thousands locked out. "Several thousands" of the official attendance of 80,407 "were allowed to sit on the ground almost up to the touch line". The match went goalless to the last half-minute of normal time, when Harold Bodle was unmarked from goal. Derby goalkeeper Vic Woodley stayed on his line, and "Bodle took the ball to within eight yards of goal but hit the ball so near to Woodley that he was able to beat the ball away."Gil Merrick, quoted in Rollin, Soccer at War, p. 109. Six minutes into extra time, defender Ted Duckhouse arrived just too late to stop Peter Doherty scoring Derby's first goal and sustained a broken leg in the collision with his opponent. No substitutes were allowed, and Birmingham went on to lose 4–0.

RoundOpponentsDateVenueResultScoreF–AScorersAttendanceThird roundPortsmouth5 January 1946HW1–0Flewin og33,8459 January 1946AD0–023,716aggregateW1–0Fourth roundWatford26 January 1946HW5–0Mulraney 3, Jones, Bodle25,05430 January 1946AD1–1Jones6,126aggregateW6–1Fifth roundSunderland9 February 1946AL0–144,82013 February 1946HW3–1Jones 2, Mulraney39,880aggregateW3–2Sixth roundBradford Park Avenue2 March 1946AD2–2Dougall, Jones19,7329 March 1946HW6–0Dougall 2, Bodle 2, Mulraney 249,858aggregateW8–2Semi-finalDerby County23 March 1946Hillsborough, SheffieldD1–1Mulraney65,013Semi-final replayDerby County27 March 1946Maine Road, ManchesterL0–4aet80,407

Appearances and goals

Players marked * were guests, not registered Birmingham City players.Rollin, Soccer at War, p. 276.

+ Players having played at least one first-team matchPos.Nat.NameLeagueFA CupTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsGK Ted Ditchburn *100010GK Sid King202040GK Gil Merrick39080470FB Ted Duckhouse266100366FB Billy Hughes400040FB— N. Jenks200020FB Dennis Jennings410100510FB Ray Shaw200020FB Sid Stanton100010HB Don Dearson34100341HB Fred Harris392100492HB Frank Mitchell261100361HB Syd Owen500050HB Arthur Turner402100502FW Harold Bodle40161035019FW Neil Dougall38101034813FW George Edwards38131004813FW Charlie Wilson Jones27201053725FW Bobby Laing210021FW— I. McPherson *100010FW Dave Massart11900119FW Jock Mulraney38131074820FW Cyril Trigg100010FW Frank White *420042

1945–46 Birmingham City F.C. season

Bron en licentie