1891–92 Small Heath F.C. season

Background

At the Annual General Meeting of the Football Alliance, the bottom four teams, of which Small Heath was one, were all re-elected. The club were £234 in debt at the end of the season. The Birmingham Daily Post suggested that {{quote|Misfortune and mismanagement did them considerable damage during the cup-tie crisis,

Players leaving included Will Devey, top scorer in the previous two seasons, who joined Football League club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Arthur Carter, a forward who had also joined Small Heath from Warwick County, was obliged to retire on medical advice after a serious leg injury. The Post kept up its encouragement:

The team played in the same kit as in the previous season: royal blue shirts and stockings with white knickerbockers. Caesar Jenkyns was captain.

Review

September–October

George Hollis's goalkeeping came in for praise as Small Heath began their season in a howling gale, despite Aston Villa beating their visitors 5–1 in a friendly match. Despite playing into the sun, Birmingham St George's took a first-half lead, increased early in the second half. Small Heath's shooting was poor throughout, but Walter Brown eventually scored with a header from Tommy Hands' cross, and on the stroke of time, Hands himself secured a "lucky draw". A "sturdy, bustling game" got the better of West Bromwich Albion in a friendly by four goals to nil, Hallam contributing three and Billy Walton the fourth. Billy Ollis had to leave the field with a damaged eye after colliding with fellow half back Caesar Jenkyns.

Four goals to one adrift by half time in the reverse fixture at Burton Swifts, Small Heath "never looked likely to get on even terms" as they lost 6–3. A friendly visit to Wolverhampton Wanderers on a slippery surface was ended with 15 minutes still to go, because of rain and poor visibility, with Wanderers 2–0 ahead. They finished September in second place in the Alliance, behind Nottingham Forest, who had won all four of their matches.

October began with a comfortable victory, by six goals to two, at Leicester Fosse in the first qualifying round of the 1891–92 FA Cup. There followed two Alliance games in three days. On the Thursday, Nottingham Forest scored two second-half goals to take an end-to-end game. On the Saturday, Small Heath started the match at home to Sheffield Wednesday on a Coventry Road pitch with pools of standing water and with only nine men. Once the latecomers arrived, the home team made a better fight of it, and Arthur Millard opened the scoring early in the second half. Wednesday soon equalised, and Small Heath, down to ten men because of a leg injury to Tommy Hands, held on for a draw. By the next Saturday, the playing surface had improved to greasy. Visitors Walsall Town Swifts scored first after about 20 minutes, which provoked Small Heath into action, and the remainder of the game was one-sided, finishing as a 4–1 home win. The Post heaped particular praise on the half-back line, Ollis, Jenkyns and Ted Devey, who "worked wonders, for they not only checkmated their opponents, but fed their own forwards very judiciously, and were always ready to assist in the defence when the necessity arose."

Small Heath visited Burton Wanderers in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup. After a fruitless wait for the allotted referee, the match began with a substitute official. Heath scored from their first attack, after which Wanderers adopted physical tactics, Small Heath joined in, and the quality of the game deteriorated. After Wanderers equalised, Tommy Hands received a kick on the temple – the player habitually stooped low to head the ball – and the ten men of Small Heath settled for a draw. The draw cost Small Heath £20, to be paid to Lincoln City, their scheduled opponents for the following Saturday, in compensation for their match being postponed to accommodate the Cup replay. Wanderers put up a better show in the replay, and Small Heath's half backs were "unaccountably insecure", but strong defensive play by goalkeeper Chris Charsley and full backs Tom Bayley and Fred Speller allowed Heath to cling on to a 2–1 win.

November–December

Small Heath included a trialist, centre-forward Young of local team Unity Gas, in their team for a friendly at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers; the match finished as a three-all draw. aided by the half-back pair of Jenkyns and Devey, "whose power and activity at heading is almost proverbial". Swifts protested to the Football Association about the unfitness of the Coventry Road ground, but their protest was dismissed. Small Heath allowed Chris Charsley to join Football League club West Bromwich Albion.

Charsley returned to represent Small Heath in the final qualifying round of the FA Cup against Brierley Hill Alliance. Wheldon gave Heath a very early lead, but sloppy play by the half-backs allowed the visitors an equaliser within two minutes. After which Small Heath took control of the game, without playing particularly well, and qualified for the rounds proper of the competition by a score of 6–2. They retained their unbeaten home record against Crewe Alexandra in the Alliance. On a pitch "in such a sodden state that it was impossible for the players to pass correctly or shoot with any degree with accuracy", Heath won 3–1 with goals from a Jenkyns free kick and two by Hallam. Off the field, Lincoln City successfully applied to the Football Alliance for Small Heath to pay forthwith the £20 owed them for agreeing to rearrange their match.

Aided by "exceptionally fine goalkeeping by Hollies, and the sturdy defence of Jenkins, Bailey, and Speller", and by James Lundie's own goal, a 2–1 win at Grimsby Town proved an "agreeable surprise" to the *Birmingham Daily Post'''s correspondent. Christmas Day's entertainment consisted of a friendly at home to Aston Villa on an icy pitch; neither club fielded a full-strength side, but the visitors were still good enough to win 3–0.

January–February

Small Heath began the new year with a 2–2 draw at Ardwick, a result highlighted by sound defence and the goalkeeping of Charsley, which left them in fourth place in the Alliance, having played fewer games than two of the three above them. Wilbert Harrison scored both goals either side of the half-time interval in what proved his only appearance for the club in national competition. Despite losing several players to representative duty for the Sheffield Association in Glasgow, Sheffield Wednesday enjoyed a comfortable win at home to Small Heath on a pitch with a light covering of snow. In the first 20 minutes, each side scored twice and the visitors had two further "goals" disallowed for offside, but on change of ends, Wednesday took control and the match ended 6–3. The Sheffield & Rotherham Independent picked out Jenkyns as playing "a sturdy and able game".

The *Daily Post'''s confidence about Small Heath's prospects in the FA Cup – although "on paper form the Royal Arsenal appear to be formidable foes to grapple with, Small Heath have come through harder things than this, and are pretty sure of getting into the second round" – proved justified. Heath took advantage of the wind in the first half to take a four-goal lead, and although Royal Arsenal had the better of the second half, the match finished as a 5–1 win. The Arsenal had included professionals in their team in the hope of progressing in the competition, but, according to the Pall Mall Gazette, they were "outplayed in every department of the game", and the Standard suggested that "many lovers of football will not be disappointed at this result", viewing the attempted introduction of professionalism amongst the southern clubs as a failed experiment. The scheduled visit to Crewe Alexandra on the following Saturday had to be postponed, because the Football Association ordered that club to replay their FA Cup tie on that date, so a friendly at Newton Heath was arranged at short notice. A below-strength Small Heath team lost 7–2, both goals scored by Wilbert Harrison.

Heath were drawn to play Sheffield Wednesday in the second round of the Cup, and had choice of venue, but were quick to accept an offer of £200 to switch the game to Wednesday's Olive Grove ground, "a telegram to that effect being posted on the front of the stand at the conclusion of Saturday's match". Wednesday won the toss and chose to play with the benefit of the strong wind at their backs. They took a first-half lead, but Small Heath held their own. The play became increasingly rough, the Sheffield Independent suggesting that "several of the Heathens began to use their weight mercilessly", and Wednesday's claim for a penalty kick after one of the visiting backs handled the ball over the crossbar was turned down by the referee. Wednesday players Duncan Gemmell and Richardson were sent off, for kicking and striking an opponent respectively, but despite the numerical disadvantage their team increased their lead late on. The referee, Mr Widdowson, needed police protection from spectators throwing mud and other missiles as he left the field, though the *Independent'''s correspondent suggested he had brought the problem on himself by failing to apply "a little more severity when the roughness first commenced". In consequence, the two dismissed players were each suspended for one week (such a lenient punishment perhaps in recognition "that it was really six of one and half a dozen of the other in the matter of rough play"), the Olive Grove ground was closed for two weeks, and Ted Devey, the player struck by Richardson, was asked to explain his conduct during the match.

The next game was a rather quieter affair, as Heath beat Ladywood Conservatives, who had progressed through the qualifying competition to the first round of the Birmingham Cup, by seven goals to nil without unduly exerting themselves. When Devey appeared in front of the Football Association to answer his charge of misconduct, the Council found no cause for inquiry, expressed regret for wasting his time, and paid his expenses. This would come as little surprise to the Independent, who blamed Caesar Jenkyns for starting the trouble by injuring Bob Brown early in the game.

Ardwick had the better of the first half of their visit to a snowy Coventry Road, but Small Heath scored twice coming up to the interval, and the second half was one-sided as Heath won 4–0, though "the number of chances that Morris literally threw away by rash and reckless play in front of goal was enough to exasperate the best-tempered supporter of the home club." The last match of the month was at home to second-placed Newton Heath in the absence of Jenkyns, who made his international debut for Wales in a 1–1 draw with Ireland at Bangor that day, becoming the first man to play a senior international while a Small Heath player. Bill Taylor took his place as Small Heath won a well-contested game by three goals to two, narrowing the gap between the teams to four points with four matches of the season remaining.

March–May

Jenkyns kept his place for Wales's 2–0 defeat to England the following Saturday, when Small Heath had no game. According to the Wrexham Advertiser, he was "the best of the halves. He was a bit slow, but his heading and tackling were very fine." A friendly match at home to Football League club Bolton Wanderers produced a 7–0 win for Small Heath, which "must have come as a great surprise to the supporters of either team". When they finally returned to Alliance action, at home to Bootle, they were again without Jenkyns, who was making his third appearance of the 1892 British Home Championship in a 6–1 defeat to Scotland. William Kendrick took his place, and reserve-team colleague Len Curryer replaced Morris at centre forward. Bootle had the better of the early game, and took the lead, but Heath came back with two goals from Wheldon, who also had a penalty saved, and two from Walton; Bootle were reduced to ten men for the second half through injury to one of their half-backs. Two days later, FA Cup-winners West Bromwich Albion had no difficulty eliminating a full-strength Small Heath side from the Birmingham Senior Cup.

Football League runners-up and twice champions Preston North End sent an under-strength eleven for a friendly meeting with Small Heath. The team was further weakened when their trainer had to play in place of Bob Roberts, who failed to turn up, but they were still too good for their hosts. Aston Villa did much of the attacking in the semi-final of the Birmingham Charity Cup but Charsley and his defenders were up to their task, and Small Heath progressed to the final by two goals to nil. In the final, at Aston Lower Grounds, Hallam scored with a header after only five minutes, and failed to take a good chance when Wolverhampton Wanderers' goalkeeper lost his grip on the ball, but at the interval the score was 1–1. In the second half, with both sun and wind in their favour, Heath struck the woodwork several times, but the only goal came when an error from their backs allowed Harry Wood a free run.

Summary and aftermath

The season was relatively successful after several years of declining interest. On the field, they improved to third in the Football Alliance after two previous tenth places, and their performance in the FA Cup earned them exemption from the qualifying competition for 1892–93. Off it, the Annual General Meeting of the club, held at Jenkins Street Board School in July 1892, heard that "skilful management, good matches, and capital 'gates had combined to produce a statement of financial affairs "distinctly creditable to managers and players", and the directors were to be congratulated. The club's application for election to the Football League First Division when it was expanded to 16 clubs was unsuccessful, but it was one of 12 clubs, mostly from the previous season's Football Alliance, elected to compete in the inaugural season of that league's Second Division. Alfred Jones had been acting as club secretary on a voluntary basis since 1885, when payment of players was first permitted. Prior to entering the Football League, the board of directors appointed him as the club's first paid official, as secretary-manager.

All the regular first-team members during the previous season remained with the club for the forthcoming Football League season, as did fringe players including the long-serving Charlie Simms, who was by 1892 employed as the first-team trainer, but retained his playing registration for emergencies. Among the newcomers were back Fred Jones from Newton Heath and forward Harry Edwards, signed from Singer's of Coventry,

Match details

For consistency, attendances and goalscorers' names in the Football Alliance and FA Cup match details are sourced from Matthews (2010). Information in contemporary newspaper reports could, and often did, differ.

Football Alliance

FA Cup

Main article: 1891–92 FA Cup

: * Small Heath forfeited home advantage to Sheffield Wednesday for a £200 payment.

Birmingham Senior Cup

Mayor of Birmingham's Charity Cup

Other matches

Appearances and goals

: This table includes appearances and goals in nationally organised competitive matchesthe Football Alliance and FA Cuponly. : For a description of the playing positions, see Formation (association football)#2–3–5 (Pyramid).

Notes

References

General

• Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Breedon Books (Derby). .
• Matthews, Tony (2010). Birmingham City: The Complete Record. DB Publishing (Derby). .

Specific

References

1. Saturday's Football Matches. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 11 May 1891.
2. and towards the latter end of the season the team did not get the encouragement it deserved from the public; but with a larger staff of directors and an infusion of new blood into the team it is hoped that Small Heath patrons will be induced to encourage an old and respected club.Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 5. 3 August 1891.
3. New players included the former [[Warwick County F.C.. Warwick County]] players [[George Hollis (footballer)
4. Northern Notes. ''Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper'' (London). p. 1. 16 August 1891.
5. Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 5. 31 August 1891.
6. [http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Birmingham_City/Birmingham_City.htm Birmingham City]. Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
7. Football. ''The Wrexham Advertiser''. p. 3. 20 February 1892.
8. The committee experimented with their team selection for the first Alliance match of the season, at home to [[Burton Swifts]], [[Fred Speller]] moving up from full back to partner [[Jack Hallam (footballer). Jack Hallam]] on the right side of the forward line. Small Heath took an early lead through a combination of [[Frederick Wilkes]] and Hallam, but Burton, showing more skill than the home forwards, equalised in the first half. After the interval, Hallam scored after Wilkes' shot was parried, then Wilkes himself made the final score 3–1.The Alliance. Small Heath v. Burton. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 7 September 1891.
9. Notes on Sport ''and'' The Alliance. Small Heath v. St. George's. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 5. 14 September 1891.
10. The Association Game in England. Burton Swifts v. Small Heath Alliance. ''Glasgow Herald''. p. 10. 21 September 1891.
11. Although a Small Heath team weakened by injury beat [[Lincoln City F.C.. Lincoln City]] 4–0, the ''Birmingham Daily Post'' suggested that "if the forwards would learn to understand each other's movements and play a collective game, instead of trying to shine individually, the result would be a great deal more beneficial" to the club.Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 5. 28 September 1891.
12. The Football Alliance. Results to Date. ''Yorkshire Herald''. p. 8. 3 October 1891.
13. Saturday's Football. The Association Cup. Small Heath v. Leicester Fosse. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 5 October 1891.
14. Football. Notts. Forest v. Small Heath .''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 9 October 1891.
15. Saturday's Football. The Alliance. Small Heath v. Sheffield Wednesday. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 12 October 1891.
16. Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 19 October 1891.
17. Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 26 October 1891.
18. Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 2 November 1891.
19. Harry Morris]], playing at centre-forward, missing several chances,Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 8. 16 November 1891.
20. Association Cup Ties. Small Heath v. Burton Swifts. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 16 November 1891.
21. The English Challenge Cup. ''The Yorkshire Herald''. p. 8. 19 November 1891.
22. Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 5. 23 November 1891.
23. The Alliance. Bootle v. Small Heath. ''Liverpool Mercury''. p. 7. 23 November 1891.
24. Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 5. 30 November 1891.
25. English Cup Ties. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 7 December 1891.
26. Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 5. 14 December 1891.
27. Football. The Alliance. ''Liverpool Mercury''. p. 7. 19 December 1891.
28. Saturday's Football. The Alliance. ''and'' Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 21 December 1891.
29. The next day's visit to second-placed [[Manchester United F.C.. Newton Heath]] came close to producing a surprise. Small Heath led 3–0 at half-time, but were unable to hold on to their lead, Newton Heath equalising through [[Alf Farman]] just before the final whistle.The Football Alliance. Newton Heath v. Small Heath. ''The Manchester Guardian''. p. 3. 28 December 1891.
30. Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 5. 4 January 1892.
31. The Association Game in England. Ardwick v. Small Heath. ''Glasgow Herald''. p. 10. 4 January 1892.
32. Matthews (2010), p. 185.
33. The Alliance. Wednesday v. Small Heath. ''Sheffield & Rotherham Independent''. p. 7. 11 January 1892.
34. Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 11 January 1892.
35. Saturday's Football. Association Cup Ties. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 18 January 1892.
36. The World of Pastime. Association Football Cup. ''[[The Penny Illustrated Paper]]'' (London). p. 55. 23 January 1892.
37. Football Notes. ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' (London). p. 1. 18 January 1892.
38. No title. ''The Standard'' (London). p. 4. 18 January 1892.
39. Football. The English Cup. ''Northern Echo'' (Darlington). p. 3. 21 January 1892.
40. Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 1 February 1892.
41. 'Centre-Forward' (26 January 1892). Football Notes. ''Sheffield & Rotherham Independent''. p. 8.
42. Football. Association Challenge Cup. Wednesday v. Small Heath. ''Sheffield & Rotherham Independent''. p. 7. 1 February 1892.
43. Saturday's Football. Association Cup Ties. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 1 February 1892.
44. 'Centre-Forward' (9 February 1892). Football Notes. ''Sheffield & Rotherham Independent''. p. 8. 9 February 1892.
45. Association Challenge Cup. ''Nottinghamshire Guardian''. p. 3. 6 February 1892.
46. In the Alliance, the rearranged visit to Lincoln City produced a one-all draw, Heath's goal scored by Wheldon from a left-wing cross.Saturday's Football. The Alliance. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 15 February 1892.
47. The Football Association. ''The Yorkshire Herald''. p. 8. 18 February 1892.
48. Football, Yesterday. The Football Alliance. ''Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper'' (London). p. 16. 21 February 1892.
49. Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 3. 22 February 1892.
50. Matthews (2000), pp. 119–22.
51. Saturday's Football. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 29 February 1892.
52. Football. ''The Wrexham Advertiser''. p. 3. 12 March 1892.
53. Saturday's Football. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 21 March 1892.
54. Saturday's Football. The Alliance. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 28 March 1892.
55. Saturday's Football. The Alliance. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 4 April 1892.
56. Saturday's Football. The Alliance. ''and'' Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 11 April 1892.
57. On Saturday, Heath played [[Nottingham Forest]] in an eventful game. Sloppy defending by Bayley and Hollis allowed Forest's Oscroft to open the scoring, but after half an hour he was "badly hurt" when charged by Jenkyns "in an unnecessarily severe manner".Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 6. 18 April 1892.
58. Sports and Pastimes. ''The Blackburn Standard''. p. 6. 30 April 1892.
59. According to the ''Birmingham Daily Post'', "Small Heath's improvement compared with last year is very marked, and at the present time the Coventry Road club is able to hold its own in the most select company."Notes on Sport. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 2 May 1892.
60. Football. The English Association. ''The Morning Post'' (London). p. 3. 19 March 1892.
61. Notes on Sport. Birmingham Daily Post. p. 11. 4 July 1892.
62. The Football League. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 11. 14 May 1892.
63. Matthews (1995), ''Complete Record'', pp. 8–9.
64. Matthews (1995), ''Complete Record'', pp. 124, 141.
65. ''Observer''{{'s Notes. ''Birmingham Daily Gazette''. p. 6. 29 August 1892.
66. Matthews (2010), ''Complete Record'', pp. 228–29.
67. Abbink, Dinant (23 July 2006). [https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engfootalliancehist.html England – Football Alliance]. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 18 July 2012.
68. Saturday's Football. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 8 February 1892.
69. Football. Birmingham Senior Cup.—Second Round. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 29 March 1892.
70. Football. Birmingham Charity Cup.—Semi-Final Tie. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 26 April 1892.
71. Football. Birmingham Charity Cup.—Final Tie. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 9 May 1892.
72. Football. Aston Villa v. Small Heath. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 2 September 1891.
73. Football. Small Heath v. West Bromwich Albion. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 5. 15 September 1891.
74. Yesterday's Football. Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Small Heath. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 22 September 1891.
75. Football. Small Heath v. Wolverhampton Wanderers. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 6. 3 November 1891.
76. Yesterday's Football. Aston Villa v. Small Heath. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 6. 26 December 1891.
77. Saturday's Football. Newton Heath v. Small Heath. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 25 January 1892.
78. Saturday's Football. Small Heath v. Bolton Wanderers. ''Birmingham Daily Post''. p. 7. 21 March 1892.
79. Football. Royal Arsenal v. Small Heath. ''The Standard'' (London). p. 6. 16 April 1892.
80. Football. Small Heath v. Preston North End. ''The Lancaster Gazette''. p. 7. 27 April 1892.