1945–46 Birmingham City F.C. season

December 2014 May 2026 Birmingham City F.C. 1945–46 Harry Storer Harry Morris Jr Ground St Andrew's Football League South 1st FA Cup Semi-final(eliminated by Derby County) Charlie Wilson Jones (20) Charlie Wilson Jones (25) FA Cup: 49,858 vs Bradford Park Avenue, 9 March 1946 FA Cup: 25,054 vs Watford, 29 March 1946 _whiteborder _whitecollarplain _whiteborder _whitetop 000099 000099 000099 FFFFFF 000099 1939–40 1946–47 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.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph-preview-1946-league/169403801/ Soccer's thrilling curtain Frank Coles The Daily Telegraph London 4 May 1946 3 Newspapers.com 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.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-observer-194546-last-day-of-the-foo/169403508/ End-of-Season Soccer J.T. Bolton The Observer London 5 May 1946 8 Newspapers.com According to the Birmingham Evening Despatchs "Argus Junior",The best tribute that can be paid to Birmingham City F.C., League South champions and F.A. Cup semi-finalists, is that twelve players were mainly responsible for taking the club through to this much envied football distinction. ... But the fighting quality and team sprit, which had already carried them so far, gradually reasserted itself, and a grandstand finish, with as exciting a football race as has ever taken place, found City on top, worthy winners of the championship because of their consistency."https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-despatch-birmingham-win-league-s/169403131/ Leaves from my Note-book Argus Junior Evening Despatch Birmingham 11 May 1946 3 Newspapers.com 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) Football League North and South 1945–46 South BIR 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",https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS35996281/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=ec1293e7 Association Football. Charlton in the Final The Times London 25 March 1946 2 subscription Raich Carter opened the scoring from Derby's first attack,Charlton Cup Triumph Chris Bale The Sunday Times London 24 March 1946 8 Jock Mulraney "hit the angle of bar and post with a glorious shot from twenty yards",Derby may have missed a chance The Manchester Guardian 25 March 1946 3 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,https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS101532283/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=c2e03472 Broadcasting. The Light Programme The Times London 27 March 1946 6 subscription and the gates were closed on safety grounds about an hour before kickoff, with thousands locked out.Cup-tie crowd The Manchester Guardian 28 March 1946 6 "Several thousands" of the official attendance of 80,407 "were allowed to sit on the ground almost up to the touch line".https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS35340924/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=86780594 Association Football. Derby County in the Cup Final The Times London 28 March 1946 2 subscription The match went goalless to the last half-minute of normal time, when Harold Bodle was unmarked 20 yd 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.Derby County win in extra time The Manchester Guardian 28 March 1946 2 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 CupTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsGKENG Ted Ditchburn *100010GKENG Sid King202040GKENG Gil Merrick39080470FBENG Ted Duckhouse266100366FBWAL Billy Hughes400040FB— N. Jenks200020FBENG Dennis Jennings410100510FBENG Ray Shaw200020FBENG Sid Stanton100010HBENG Don Dearson34100341HBENG Fred Harris392100492HBENG Frank Mitchell261100361HBENG Syd Owen500050HBENG Arthur Turner402100502FWENG Harold Bodle40161035019FWSCO Neil Dougall38101034813FWWAL George Edwards38131004813FWWAL Charlie Wilson Jones27201053725FWSCO Bobby Laing210021FW— I. McPherson *100010FWENG Dave Massart11900119FWSCO Jock Mulraney38131074820FWENG Cyril Trigg100010FWENG Frank White *420042 See also Birmingham City F.C. seasons ReferencesGeneral Matthews Tony Birmingham City: A Complete Record 1995 Breedon Books Derby 978-1-85983-010-9 Matthews Tony Birmingham City: The Complete Record 2010 DB Publishing Derby 978-1-85983-853-2 Rollin Jack Soccer at War 1939–45 Headline London 2005 978-0-7553-1431-7 Source for match dates, results, lineups, appearances, and goalscorers: Matthews (1995), Complete Record, p. 240. Source for attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 482–83. Source for kit: "Birmingham City". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 22 May 2018.Specific' Category:Birmingham City F.C. seasons Birmingham City