# 1947–48 Birmingham City F.C. season

The 1947–48 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 45th in the Football League and their 19th in the Second Division. They reached first place in the 22-team division after the match played on 6 December and retained that position for the remainder of the season, winning the Second Division title for the third time and gaining promotion to the First Division for 1948–49, from which they had been relegated at the end of the last completed pre-war season. They entered the 1947–48 FA Cup at the third round proper and lost to Notts County in that round.
Twenty-four players made at least one appearance in nationally organised competition, and there were twelve different goalscorers. Forward Frank Mitchell missed only one of the 43 games over the season, and Harold Bodle was leading scorer with 14 goals, all of which came in the league.

## Football League Second Division

| Date | League position | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 23 August 1947 | 14th | Barnsley | H | L | 2–3 | Bodle, Mitchell pen | 37,917 |
| 25 August 1947 | 11th | Coventry City | A | W | 1–0 | Aveyard | 30,558 |
| 30 August 1947 | 7th | Plymouth Argyle | A | W | 3–0 | Dougall, Bodle, Aveyard | 24,178 |
| 3 September 1947 | 7th | Coventry City | H | D | 1–1 | Bodle | 36,545 |
| 6 September 1947 | 3rd | Luton Town | H | W | 2–1 | Bodle, Aveyard | 40,032 |
| 10 September 1947 | 5th | Newcastle United | H | D | 0–0 | | 35,368 |
| 13 September 1947 | 3rd | Brentford | A | W | 2–1 | Trigg, Edwards | 25,523 |
| 17 September 1947 | 5th | Newcastle United | A | L | 0–1 | | 51,704 |
| 20 September 1947 | 4th | Leicester City | H | W | 1–0 | Dougall | 36,495 |
| 27 September 1947 | 3rd | Leeds United | A | W | 1–0 | Trigg | 37,135 |
| 4 October 1947 | 2nd | Fulham | H | W | 3–1 | Bodle 2, Trigg | 39,758 |
| 11 October 1947 | 2nd | Chesterfield | H | D | 0–0 | | 37,918 |
| 18 October 1947 | 2nd | West Ham United | A | D | 0–0 | | 32,228 |
| 25 October 1947 | 2nd | Bury | H | W | 2–0 | Bodle, Dougall | 34,806 |
| 1 November 1947 | 3rd | Southampton | A | L | 0–2 | | 27,243 |
| 8 November 1947 | 2nd | Doncaster Rovers | H | W | 3–0 | Goodwin 2, Bodle | 31,052 |
| 15 November 1947 | 2nd | Nottingham Forest | A | W | 2–0 | McIntosh, Goodwin | 33,364 |
| 22 November 1947 | 2nd | Bradford Park Avenue | H | W | 4–3 | Ottewell, Goodwin, Mitchell pen | 29,020 |
| 29 November 1947 | 2nd | Cardiff City | A | L | 0–2 | | 39,646 |
| 6 December 1947 | 1st | Sheffield Wednesday | H | W | 1–0 | Westlake og | 31,217 |
| 13 December 1947 | 1st | Tottenham Hotspur | A | W | 2–1 | Garrett, Dougall | 52,730 |
| 20 December 1947 | 1st | Barnsley | A | W | 1–0 | Bodle | 18,880 |
| 25 December 1947 | 1st | Millwall | A | D | 0–0 | | 25,794 |
| 27 December 1947 | 1st | Millwall | H | W | 1–0 | Goodwin | 45,985 |
| 3 January 1948 | 1st | Plymouth Argyle | H | D | 1–1 | Goodwin | 35,480 |
| 17 January 1948 | 1st | Luton Town | A | W | 1–0 | Bodle | 19,697 |
| 31 January 1948 | 1st | Brentford | H | D | 0–0 | | 37,542 |
| 14 February 1948 | 1st | Leeds United | H | W | 5–1 | Laing 2, Stewart 2, Dorman | 39,955 |
| 21 February 1948 | 1st | Fulham | A | D | 1–1 | Bodle | 13,164 |
| 28 February 1948 | 1st | Chesterfield | A | W | 3–0 | Stewart, Dougall, Bodle | 15,844 |
| 6 March 1948 | 1st | West Ham United | H | L | 0–1 | | 43,709 |
| 13 March 1948 | 1st | Bury | A | D | 1–1 | Edwards | 23,420 |
| 20 March 1948 | 1st | Southampton | H | D | 0–0 | | 39,730 |
| 27 March 1948 | 1st | Doncaster Rovers | A | D | 0–0 | | 25,370 |
| 29 March 1948 | 1st | West Bromwich Albion | H | W | 4–0 | Stewart 2, Bodle, Trigg | 47,074 |
| 30 March 1948 | 1st | West Bromwich Albion | A | D | 1–1 | Bodle | 51,945 |
| 3 April 1948 | 1st | Nottingham Forest | H | W | 2–1 | Stewart, Mitchell pen | 38,227 |
| 10 April 1948 | 1st | Bradford Park Avenue | A | W | 2–1 | Mitchell pen, Stewart | 16,782 |
| 17 April 1948 | 1st | Cardiff City | H | W | 2–0 | Trigg, Bodle | 52,276 |
| 19 April 1948 | 1st | Leicester City | A | D | 0–0 | | 31,937 |
| 24 April 1948 | 1st | Sheffield Wednesday | A | D | 0–0 | | 25,789 |
| 1 May 1948 | 1st | Tottenham Hotspur | H | D | 0–0 | | 35,569 |

### League table (part)

Final Second Division table (part) :
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts |
| 1st | Birmingham City | 42 | 22 | 15 | 5 | 55 | 24 | 2.29 | 59 |
| 2nd | Newcastle United | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 72 | 41 | 1.76 | 56 |
| 3rd | Southampton | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 71 | 53 | 1.34 | 52 |
| 4th | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 66 | 53 | 1.25 | 51 |
| 5th | Cardiff City | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 61 | 58 | 1.05 | 47 |
| 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 | 10 January 1948 | Notts County | H | L | 0–2 | | 53,327 |

## 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 | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Nat. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | ENG | Gil Merrick | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| GK | ENG | Jack Wheeler | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| FB | ENG | Ken Green | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| FB | ENG | Dennis Jennings | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| FB | ENG | Wally Quinton | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| FB | ENG | Jack Southam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | ENG | Jack Badham | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| HB | ENG | Don Dorman | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| HB | ENG | Ted Duckhouse | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| HB | ENG | Fred Harris | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| HB | ENG | Martin McDonnell | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| HB | ENG | Frank Mitchell | 41 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 4 |
| FW | ENG | Walter Aveyard | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| FW | ENG | Johnny Berry | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| FW | ENG | Harold Bodle | 39 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 14 |
| FW | SCO | Neil Dougall | 34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 5 |
| FW | WAL | George Edwards | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 2 |
| FW | SCO | Archie Garrett | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| FW | ENG | Jackie Goodwin | 16 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 6 |
| FW | ENG | John Hughes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| FW | SCO | Bobby Laing | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| FW | SCO | Alex McIntosh † | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| FW | ENG | Sid Ottewell † | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| FW | SCO | Jackie Stewart | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 7 |
| FW | ENG | Cyril Trigg | 25 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 6 |