# 1974–75 Birmingham City F.C. season

The 1974–75 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 72nd in the Football League and their 41st in the First Division. They finished in 17th position in the 22-team division, four points above the relegation positions. They entered the 1974–75 FA Cup at the third round proper and lost to Fulham in the last minute of the semi-final replay, lost to Crewe Alexandra in their opening match of the League Cup in the second round, and reached the semi-final of the Texaco Cup.
Twenty-eight players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were thirteen different goalscorers. Goalkeeper Dave Latchford and forward Bob Hatton played in 53 of the 56 first-team matches over the season, and the leading goalscorer was Hatton with 18 goals, of which 14 came in league competition.

## Football League First Division

| Date | League position | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 17 August 1974 | 17th | Middlesbrough | H | L | 0–3 | | 32,105 |
| 20 August 1974 | 18th | Leicester City | H | L | 3–4 | Burns, Francis 2 (1 pen) | 27,663 |
| 24 August 1974 | 21st | Leeds United | A | L | 0–1 | | 30,820 |
| 28 August 1974 | 21st | Leicester City | A | D | 1–1 | Francis | 24,018 |
| 31 August 1974 | 21st | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | D | 1–1 | Burns | 33,785 |
| 7 September 1974 | 17th | Queens Park Rangers | A | W | 1–0 | Gallagher | 16,058 |
| 14 September 1974 | 15th | Derby County | H | W | 3–2 | Hatton, Francis 2 (2 pens) | 27,345 |
| 21 September 1974 | 18th | Carlisle United | A | L | 0–1 | | 12,691 |
| 25 September 1974 | 21st | West Ham United | A | L | 0–3 | | 25,495 |
| 28 September 1974 | 14th | Arsenal | H | W | 3–1 | Burns, Hatton 2 | 25,584 |
| 5 October 1974 | 19th | Coventry City | H | L | 1–2 | Francis pen | 30,282 |
| 12 October 1974 | 14th | Luton Town | A | W | 3–1 | Francis 3 | 15,097 |
| 15 October 1974 | 13th | Leeds United | H | W | 1–0 | Francis | 36,513 |
| 19 October 1974 | 11th | Newcastle United | H | W | 3–0 | Burns, Styles, Hatton | 33,339 |
| 26 October 1974 | 12th | Sheffield United | A | L | 2–3 | Hatton, Styles | 21,639 |
| 2 November 1974 | 11th | Chelsea | H | W | 2–0 | Hatton, Kendall | 30,764 |
| 9 November 1974 | 11th | Burnley | A | D | 2–2 | Rodaway og, Taylor | 16,075 |
| 16 November 1974 | 11th | Manchester City | H | W | 4–0 | Kendall, Hatton 2, Burns | 35,143 |
| 23 November 1974 | 9th | Tottenham Hotspur | A | D | 0–0 | | 27,761 |
| 30 November 1974 | 11th | Everton | A | L | 1–4 | Calderwood | 38,369 |
| 7 December 1974 | 13th | Stoke City | H | L | 0–3 | | 33,999 |
| 14 December 1974 | 14th | Middlesbrough | A | L | 0–3 | | 23,737 |
| 21 December 1974 | 14th | Liverpool | H | W | 3–1 | Taylor, Kendall pen, Hatton | 26,608 |
| 26 December 1974 | 15th | Derby County | A | L | 1–2 | Hatton | 26,121 |
| 28 December 1974 | 16th | Ipswich Town | H | L | 0–1 | | 30,266 |
| 11 January 1975 | 17th | Stoke City | A | D | 0–0 | | 26,157 |
| 18 January 1975 | 18th | Everton | H | L | 0–3 | | 32,284 |
| 1 February 1975 | 17th | Burnley | H | D | 1–1 | Emmanuel | 24,990 |
| 8 February 1975 | 18th | Chelsea | A | L | 1–2 | Hatton | 18,144 |
| 18 February 1975 | 16th | Tottenham Hotspur | H | W | 1–0 | Hatton | 24,240 |
| 22 February 1975 | 17th | Manchester City | A | L | 1–3 | Taylor | 33,240 |
| 1 March 1975 | 16th | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | W | 1–0 | Hendrie | 28,256 |
| 15 March 1975 | 16th | Arsenal | A | D | 1–1 | Burns | 17,845 |
| 18 March 1975 | 16th | West Ham United | H | D | 1–1 | Bryant | 34,000 |
| 22 March 1975 | 16th | Queens Park Rangers | H | W | 4–1 | Francis, Campbell, Hatton, Calderwood | 32,832 |
| 25 March 1975 | 13th | Carlisle United | H | W | 2–0 | Francis, Burns | 33,761 |
| 29 March 1975 | 15th | Liverpool | A | L | 0–1 | | 49,454 |
| 1 April 1975 | 15th | Ipswich Town | A | L | 2–3 | Burns, Hatton | 27,417 |
| 12 April 1975 | 18th | Coventry City | A | L | 0–1 | | 24,163 |
| 19 April 1975 | 18th | Luton Town | H | L | 1–4 | Francis | 28,755 |
| 26 April 1975 | 17th | Newcastle United | A | W | 2–1 | Kendall, Pendrey | 24,787 |
| 29 April 1975 | 17th | Sheffield United | H | D | 0–0 | | 33,677 |

### League table (part)

Final First Division table (part) :
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts |
| 15th | Newcastle United | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 59 | 72 | 0.87 | 39 |
| 16th | Arsenal | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 47 | 49 | 0.96 | 37 |
| 17th | Birmingham City | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 53 | 61 | 0.87 | 37 |
| 18th | Leicester City | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 46 | 60 | 0.77 | 36 |
| 19th | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 52 | 63 | 0.82 | 34 |
| Key | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points |

## FA Cup

For the third time in seven seasons, Birmingham reached the semi-final of the FA Cup. This time, they drew with Fulham at Hillsborough so the tie went to a replay, played at Maine Road, Manchester. Goalless through normal time and all but a few seconds of extra time – an announcement had already been made that the second replay would be at Highbury the following Monday – a long ball towards Birmingham's penalty area was struck by John Mitchell straight into goalkeeper Dave Latchford's face. The ball rebounded onto Mitchell's chest and back towards the goal to bobble over the line.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Third round | 4 January 1975 | Luton Town | A | W | 1–0 | Kendall | 17,543 |
| Fourth round | 25 January 1975 | Chelsea | A | W | 1–0 | Burns | 36,650 |
| Fifth round | 15 February 1975 | Walsall | H | W | 2–1 | Hatton, Burns | 45,881 |
| Sixth round | 8 March 1975 | Middlesbrough | H | W | 1–0 | Hatton | 47,260 |
| Semi-final | 5 April 1975 | Fulham | Hillsborough, Sheffield | D | 1–1 | Gallagher | 54,166 |
| Semi-final replay | 9 April 1975 | Fulham | Maine Road, Manchester | L | 0–1 aet | | 35,205 |

## League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Second round | 11 September 1974 | Crewe Alexandra | A | L | 1–2 | Gallagher | 7,194 |

## Texaco Cup

| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Group 1 | 3 August 1974 | West Bromwich Albion | A | D | 0–0 | | 18,643 |
| Group 1 | 7 August 1974 | Peterborough United | A | D | 1–1 | Taylor | 8,915 |
| Group 1 | 10 August 1974 | Norwich City | H | W | 3–1 | Campbell, Francis, Hatton | 14,847 |
| Second round 1st leg | 17 September 1974 | Ayr United | H | W | 3–0 | Burns 2, Calderwood | 12,327 |
| Second round 2nd leg | 2 October 1974 | Ayr United | A | D | 0–0 | | 4,992 |
| Semi-final 1st leg | 23 October 1974 | Newcastle United | A | D | 1–1 | Hatton | 20,556 |
| Semi-final 2nd leg | 6 November 1974 | Newcastle United | H | L | 1–4 | Burns | 17,754 |

## Appearances and goals

    Numbers in parentheses denote appearances made as a substitute.
    Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
Players' appearances and goals by competition :
| Pos. | Nat. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Texaco Cup | Texaco Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Nat. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | ENG | Mike Kelly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | ENG | Dave Latchford | 39 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 53 | 0 |
| GK | WAL | Gary Sprake | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 2 (2) | 0 |
| DF | ENG | Steve Bryant | 15 (1) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 (1) | 1 |
| DF | ENG | Dennis Clarke | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| DF | ENG | Joe Gallagher | 38 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 50 | 3 |
| DF | SCO | Roger Hynd | 6 (6) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 (6) | 0 |
| DF | ENG | Ray Martin | 21 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 (1) | 0 |
| DF | ENG | Garry Pendrey | 27 (3) | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 39 (4) | 1 |
| DF | WAL | John Roberts | 7 (1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 (1) | 0 |
| DF | SCO | Ricky Sbragia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 |
| DF | ENG | Archie Styles | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 2 |
| DF | ENG | Tony Want | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 |
| MF | SCO | Jimmy Calderwood | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 2 |
| MF | SCO | Alan Campbell | 28 | 1 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 35 (1) | 2 |
| MF | WAL | Gary Emmanuel | 9 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 13 (1) | 1 |
| MF | SCO | Paul Hendrie | 9 (2) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 16 (3) | 1 |
| MF | SCO | Bobby Hope | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 |
| MF | ENG | Howard Kendall | 39 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 50 | 5 |
| MF | ENG | Roy Morton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| MF | WAL | Malcolm Page | 28 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| MF | ENG | Gordon Taylor | 34 (1) | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 (1) | 1 | 45 (2) | 4 |
| FW | ENG | Gary Allen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | SCO | Kenny Burns | 39 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 52 | 13 |
| FW | ENG | Trevor Francis | 23 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 14 |
| FW | ENG | Bob Hatton | 41 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 53 | 18 |
| FW | ENG | Steve Phillips | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 |
| FW | SCO | Ian Smith | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 |