1954–55 Birmingham City F.C. season


The 1954–55 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 52nd in the Football League and their 24th in the Second Division. They finished top of the 22-team division on goal average, thus winning the Second Division title for the fourth time and gaining promotion to the First Division for 1955–56. They entered the 1954–55 FA Cup at the third round proper and lost to Manchester City in the sixth round.
Bob Brocklebank and chief scout Walter Taylor laid the foundations for the club's successes of the 1950s, introducing future England internationals Trevor Smith and Jeff Hall to the side, and bringing in the likes of Peter Murphy, Eddy Brown, Roy Warhurst and Alex Govan.
Arthur Turner took over from Brocklebank as manager in November 1954 with the club mid-table in the Second Division, having gained only one point away from home. By the end of the season they had scored 92 goals,
inflicted Liverpool's record defeat, by nine goals to one, which was also Birmingham's widest margin of victory in a league match since the 19th century, and, needing five points from the last three games, all away from home, to be sure of promotion, confirmed themselves as champions with a 5–1 win in the last game of the season away at Doncaster Rovers.
Twenty-five players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were eleven different goalscorers. Half-back Len Boyd played in 43 of the 46 first-team matches over the season, and Peter Murphy was leading goalscorer with 20 goals, all scored in league competition. All five first-choice forwards – Gordon Astall, Noel Kinsey, Brown, Murphy and Govan – reached double figures.

Football League Second Division

DateLeague
position		OpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A		ScorersAttendance
21 August 195417thStoke CityAL1–2Warhurst27,820
25 August 19547thBristol RoversHW2–1Kinsey, Rowley25,890
28 August 19543rdRotherham UnitedHW3–1Govan 2, Warhurst27,260
30 August 19546thBristol RoversAD1–1Warhurst26,218
4 September 195411thLuton TownAL0–116,347
8 September 19548thIpswich TownHW4–0Kinsey, Warmington, Astall21,238
11 September 19547thHull CityHD0–023,846
15 September 19546thIpswich TownAW2–1Warmington, Murphy16,746
18 September 19546thLincoln CityAD1–1Kinsey14,581
25 September 195410thBuryHL1–3Lane21,242
2 October 195411thLeeds UnitedAL0–121,200
9 October 195412thFulhamAL1–2Astall30,293
16 October 195412thSwansea TownHW2–0Murphy 219,998
30 October 195414thDerby CountyHD1–1Brown20,568
6 November 195413thWest Ham UnitedAD2–2Murphy 225,366
13 November 195411thBlackburn RoversHW3–1Brown, Astall, Govan23,829
20 November 195412thPlymouth ArgyleAL0–119,204
27 November 195410thPort ValeHW7–2Brown, Murphy 3, Kinsey 2, Govan16,352
4 December 195414thNotts CountyAL2–3Murphy, Govan13,477
11 December 195413thLiverpoolHW9–1Brown 3, Lane, Murphy 2, Astall, Govan17,067
18 December 195411thStoke CityHW2–0Brown, Govan22,427
25 December 195412thNottingham ForestHL0–133,007
27 December 195410thNottingham ForestAW2–0Murphy, Burkitt og25,875
1 January 19558thRotherham UnitedAW2–0Kinsey, Govan17,166
5 February 195510thLincoln CityHD3–3Murphy 2, Kinsey20,313
12 February 19559thBuryAW1–0Brown12,547
2 March 19557thLeeds UnitedHW2–0Lane, Govan10,774
5 March 19556thSwansea TownAW3–0Lane, Kinsey, Boyd22,565
16 March 19555thDoncaster RoversHW4–1Kinsey, Murphy, Astall, Warhurst6,441
19 March 19557thDerby CountyAD0–019,489
26 March 19557thWest Ham UnitedHL1–2Brown9,132
30 March 19555thFulhamHW3–2Lane, Astall 29,686
2 April 19556thBlackburn RoversAD3–3Lane, Murphy, Kinsey27,673
8 April 19555thMiddlesbroughAW5–2Lane, Brown 2, Govan 232,519
9 April 19554thPlymouth ArgyleHW3–1Kinsey, Lane, Govan25,078
11 April 19554thMiddlesbroughHW3–0Kinsey, Murphy, Govan23,657
16 April 19555thPort ValeAL0–224,036
20 April 19553rdLuton TownHW2–1Murphy 234,612
23 April 19555thNotts CountyHD1–1Brown28,018
25 April 19553rdHull CityAW3–0Bradbury, Govan12,848
30 April 19553rdLiverpoolAD2–2Brown, Astall38,060
4 May 19551stDoncaster RoversAW5–1Brown, Murphy, Astall 2, Govan21,305

League table (part)

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A		ScorersAttendance
Third round8 January 1955Hull CityAW2–0Kinsey, Brown25,920
Fourth round29 January 1955Bolton WanderersHW2–1Govan, Wheeler og56,852
Fifth round19 February 1955Doncaster RoversHW2–1Brown 257,800
Sixth round12 March 1955Manchester CityHL0–157,960

Appearances and goals