# 1961–62 Birmingham City F.C. season

The 1961–62 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 59th in the Football League and their 35th in the First Division. They finished in 17th position in the 22-team division. They entered the 1961–62 FA Cup in the third round proper and lost in that round to Tottenham Hotspur after a replay, and entered the League Cup at the first round, again losing their opening match after a replay, this time against Swindon Town. Birmingham lost in the final of the 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in October 1961, and only a few weeks later, were eliminated from the 1961–62 competition in the second round by Espanyol. This was Birmingham's last appearance in major European competition for nearly 50 years.
Twenty-five players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were eleven different goalscorers. Forward Mike Hellawell played in all 50 first-team matches over the season (half back Malcolm Beard missed only one), and Ken Leek and Jimmy Harris finished as joint leading goalscorers with 20 goals in all competitions; Leek was top scorer in league competition with 18 goals.

## Football League First Division

| Date | League position | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 19 August 1961 | 4th | Fulham | H | W | 2–1 | Harris, Bloomfield | 25,387 |
| 22 August 1961 | 8th | Nottingham Forest | A | L | 1–2 | Harris | 19,486 |
| 26 August 1961 | 17th | Sheffield Wednesday | A | L | 1–5 | Bloomfield | 29,931 |
| 30 August 1961 | 19th | Nottingham Forest | H | D | 1–1 | Harris | 21,095 |
| 2 September 1961 | 21st | Leicester City | H | L | 1–5 | Bloomfield | 21,977 |
| 6 September 1961 | 20th | West Bromwich Albion | A | D | 0–0 | | 20,541 |
| 9 September 1961 | 21st | Ipswich Town | A | L | 1–4 | Singer | 20,017 |
| 16 September 1961 | 22nd | Burnley | H | L | 2–6 | Bloomfield, Hellawell | 18,764 |
| 20 September 1961 | 22nd | West Bromwich Albion | H | L | 1–2 | Hellawell | 23,931 |
| 23 September 1961 | 22nd | Arsenal | A | D | 1–1 | Harris pen | 31,749 |
| 30 September 1961 | 22nd | Bolton Wanderers | H | W | 2–1 | Bloomfield, Auld | 17,214 |
| 7 October 1961 | 22nd | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | L | 3–6 | Harris 2 (1 pen), Bloomfield | 29,159 |
| 14 October 1961 | 21st | Manchester United | A | W | 2–0 | Orritt, Hellawell | 30,674 |
| 21 October 1961 | 21st | Chelsea | H | W | 3–2 | Harris, Bloomfield 2 | 20,095 |
| 28 October 1961 | 19th | Aston Villa | A | W | 3–1 | Harris 2, Orritt | 49,532 |
| 4 November 1961 | 17th | Blackpool | H | D | 1–1 | Orritt | 21,450 |
| 11 November 1961 | 21st | Blackburn Rovers | A | L | 0–2 | | 12,083 |
| 18 November 1961 | 19th | West Ham United | H | W | 4–0 | Harris pen, Bloomfield, Orritt, Auld | 20,682 |
| 25 November 1961 | 20th | Sheffield United | A | L | 1–3 | Harris | 16,838 |
| 2 December 1961 | 15th | Cardiff City | H | W | 3–0 | Leek 2, Hellawell | 20,959 |
| 9 December 1961 | 19th | Tottenham Hotspur | A | L | 1–3 | Leek | 32,509 |
| 16 December 1961 | 16th | Fulham | A | W | 1–0 | Leek | 12,730 |
| 23 December 1961 | 12th | Sheffield Wednesday | H | D | 1–1 | Leek | 19,109 |
| 26 December 1961 | 13th | Manchester City | H | D | 1–1 | Leek | 21,926 |
| 13 January 1962 | 11th | Leicester City | A | W | 2–1 | Harris, Auld | 22,691 |
| 20 January 1962 | 10th | Ipswich Town | H | W | 3–1 | Leek 2, Baker og | 26,968 |
| 3 February 1962 | 11th | Burnley | A | L | 1–7 | Auld | 24,047 |
| 10 February 1962 | 10th | Arsenal | H | W | 1–0 | Harris | 27,797 |
| 17 February 1962 | 11th | Bolton Wanderers | A | L | 2–3 | Leek, Auld | 13,308 |
| 24 February 1962 | 14th | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | L | 1–2 | Leek | 29,665 |
| 3 March 1962 | 13th | Manchester United | H | D | 1–1 | Leek | 25,817 |
| 9 March 1962 | 13th | Chelsea | A | D | 1–1 | Leek | 23,959 |
| 17 March 1962 | 16th | Aston Villa | H | L | 0–2 | | 43,489 |
| 24 March 1962 | 18th | Blackpool | A | L | 0–1 | | 11,854 |
| 30 March 1962 | 16th | Blackburn Rovers | H | W | 2–1 | Leek, Hellawell | 17,431 |
| 6 April 1962 | 14th | West Ham United | A | D | 2–2 | Bloomfield, Leek | 22,668 |
| 11 April 1962 | 14th | Manchester City | A | W | 4–1 | Harris, Bloomfield, Leek, Hellawell | 21,941 |
| 14 April 1962 | 14th | Sheffield United | H | W | 3–0 | Harris 2 (1 pen), Hellawell | 19,514 |
| 20 April 1962 | 14th | Everton | A | L | 1–4 | Leek | 47,506 |
| 21 April 1962 | 17th | Cardiff City | A | L | 2–3 | Leek 2 | 8,608 |
| 24 April 1962 | 17th | Everton | H | D | 0–0 | | 21,910 |
| 28 April 1962 | 17th | Tottenham Hotspur | H | L | 2–3 | Leek, Beard | 29,614 |

### League table (part)

Final First Division table (part) :
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts |
| 15th | Manchester United | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 72 | 75 | 0.96 | 39 |
| 16th | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 50 | 58 | 0.86 | 39 |
| 17th | Birmingham City | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 65 | 81 | 0.80 | 38 |
| 18th | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 73 | 86 | 0.85 | 36 |
| 19th | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 63 | 79 | 0.80 | 36 |
| 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 |
| Source | | | | | | | | | |

## FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Third round | 6 January 1962 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | D | 3–3 | Harris 2, Leek | 46,096 |
| Third round replay | 10 January 1962 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | L | 2–4 | Harris, Leek | 62,917 |

## League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| First round | 13 September 1961 | Swindon Town | H | D | 1–1 | Neal | 11,596 |
| First round replay | 25 September 1961 | Swindon Town | A | L | 0–2 | | 13,063 |

## 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

The final of the 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup took place in late September and mid-October 1961, when the first round of the 1961–62 competition was already under way. In the semi-final, Birmingham had beaten Inter Milan home and away; no other English club beat them in a competitive match in the San Siro until Arsenal did so in the Champions League more than 40 years later. Birmingham played in the final for the second consecutive season, having lost to Barcelona in 1960. In the first leg, missed chances and poor defending allowed Roma to take a two-goal lead at St Andrew's, but second-half goals from Mike Hellawell and Bryan Orritt, whose late equaliser came after Jimmy Harris's shot rebounded from the crossbar, took Birmingham into the second leg on level terms. In front of a large crowd in the Stadio Olimpico, Roma won 2–0 to take the trophy 4–2 on aggregate.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Final 1st leg | 27 September 1961 | AS Roma | H | D | 2–2 | Hellawell, Orritt | 21,005 |
| Final 2nd leg | 11 October 1961 | AS Roma | A | L | 0–2 | | 50,000 |

## 1961–62 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

As finalists in the previous season's competition, Birmingham were awarded a bye to the second round, in which they were drawn against Espanyol. They lost heavily in the first leg, in Barcelona, where Antonio Camps scored a hat-trick. They won the ill-tempered return leg 1–0 with a goal from Bertie Auld, but four players, including Birmingham's Jimmy Harris and Auld himself, were sent off.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Second round 1st leg | 15 November 1961 | Espanyol | A | L | 2–5 | Bloomfield, Harris pen | 60,000 |
| Second round 2nd leg | 7 December 1961 | Espanyol | H | W | 1–0 | Auld | 16,874 |

## Appearances and goals

    Players marked † left the club during the playing season.
    Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; FB – Full back; HB – Half back; FW – Forward
Players' appearances and goals by competition :
| Pos. | Nat. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | 1960–61 Fairs Cup | 1960–61 Fairs Cup | 1961–62 Fairs Cup | 1961–62 Fairs Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Nat. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | ENG | Johnny Schofield | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| GK | ENG | Colin Withers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| FB | ENG | George Allen † | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| FB | ENG | Brian Farmer † | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| FB | ENG | Winston Foster | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| FB | ENG | Stan Lynn | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| FB | ENG | Graham Sissons | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| FB | ENG | Pat Wright | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| HB | ENG | Malcolm Beard | 42 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 1 |
| HB | WAL | Terry Hennessey | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| HB | ENG | Dick Neal † | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| HB | ENG | Trevor Smith | 39 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| HB | ENG | Johnny Watts | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| FW | SCO | Bertie Auld | 38 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 6 |
| FW | ENG | Jimmy Bloomfield | 35 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 12 |
| FW | ENG | Peter Bullock | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | ENG | Jimmy Harris | 39 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 46 | 20 |
| FW | ENG | Mike Hellawell | 42 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 8 |
| FW | WAL | Ken Leek | 24 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 20 |
| FW | WAL | Bryan Orritt | 17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 5 |
| FW | ENG | Billy Rudd † | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | ENG | Jimmy Singer | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| FW | ENG | Robin Stubbs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| FW | ENG | Brian Taylor † | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| FW | ENG | Denis Thwaites | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
* ↑ General source mistakenly attributes Foster's appearance against Everton in April 1962 to Farmer, who had left the club three months earlier.