# 1933–34 Birmingham F.C. season

The 1933–34 Football League season was Birmingham Football Club's 38th in the Football League and their 21st in the First Division. They finished in 20th position in the 22-team division, two points above the relegation places. They also competed in the 1933–34 FA Cup, entering at the third round proper and losing to Leicester City in the fifth.
Twenty-nine players made at least one appearance in nationally organised competition, and there were nineteen different goalscorers. Half-backs Charlie Calladine was ever-present over the 45-match season, and Fred Roberts was leading scorer with just 8 goals, all of which came in the league.
At the end of the 1932–33 season, Leslie Knighton left the club to become manager of Chelsea, who had made him an offer that Birmingham were unable to match. Former Birmingham defender George Liddell, a schoolteacher by profession, was appointed to succeed him. Liddell kept up his Saturday evening radio broadcast, This Week's Sport in the Midlands, but only on days when Birmingham were not playing away from home.

## Football League First Division

| Date | League position | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 26 August 1933 | 11th | Arsenal | A | D | 1–1 | Bradford | 44,662 |
| 30 August 1933 | 17th | Manchester City | H | L | 0–1 | | 20,084 |
| 2 September 1933 | 16th | Everton | H | D | 2–2 | Haywood, Grosvenor | 25,250 |
| 6 September 1933 | 20th | Manchester City | A | L | 0–1 | | 19,388 |
| 9 September 1933 | 13th | Middlesbrough | A | W | 3–0 | Horsman, Bradford 2 | 11,501 |
| 16 September 1933 | 9th | Blackburn Rovers | H | W | 2–0 | Smith, Curtis pen | 20,779 |
| 23 September 1933 | 8th | Newcastle United | A | D | 0–0 | | 21,667 |
| 30 September 1933 | 4th | Leeds United | H | W | 4–0 | Bradford, Grosvenor, Smith, Curtis | 21,566 |
| 7 October 1933 | 12th | Derby County | A | L | 0–4 | | 17,400 |
| 14 October 1933 | 17th | West Bromwich Albion | H | L | 0–1 | | 29,961 |
| 21 October 1933 | 15th | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | D | 0–0 | | 31,980 |
| 28 October 1933 | 15th | Stoke City | A | D | 1–1 | Roberts | 17,668 |
| 4 November 1933 | 17th | Liverpool | H | L | 1–2 | Roberts | 17,998 |
| 11 November 1933 | 12th | Portsmouth | A | W | 2–0 | White, Fillingham | 16,962 |
| 15 November 1933 | 13th | Sunderland | H | D | 1–1 | Lea | 15,277 |
| 25 November 1933 | 13th | Chelsea | A | D | 1–1 | White | 17,843 |
| 2 December 1933 | 12th | Aston Villa | H | D | 0–0 | | 34,718 |
| 9 December 1933 | 14th | Tottenham Hotspur | A | L | 2–3 | Roberts, White | 26,142 |
| 23 December 1933 | 17th | Huddersfield Town | A | D | 0–0 | | 9,777 |
| 25 December 1933 | 18th | Sheffield United | A | L | 1–2 | Roberts | 25,637 |
| 26 December 1933 | 16th | Sheffield United | H | W | 4–2 | White, Robertson, Roberts, Bradford | 28,904 |
| 30 December 1933 | 16th | Arsenal | H | D | 0–0 | | 34,771 |
| 2 January 1934 | 17th | Sheffield Wednesday | A | L | 1–2 | McGurk | 12,754 |
| 6 January 1934 | 17th | Everton | A | L | 0–2 | | 20,582 |
| 20 January 1934 | 17th | Middlesbrough | H | D | 0–0 | | 20,310 |
| 29 January 1934 | 18th | Blackburn Rovers | A | L | 1–3 | McGurk | 5,949 |
| 3 February 1934 | 19th | Newcastle United | H | L | 1–2 | McGurk | 16,366 |
| 10 February 1934 | 20th | Leeds United | A | L | 0–1 | | 14,753 |
| 21 February 1934 | 18th | Derby County | H | W | 2–1 | Smith, Mangnall | 12,396 |
| 24 February 1934 | 19th | West Bromwich Albion | A | W | 2–1 | Roberts, White | 24,525 |
| 3 March 1934 | 20th | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | L | 0–2 | | 27,350 |
| 10 March 1934 | 20th | Stoke City | H | L | 0–1 | | 21,968 |
| 17 March 1934 | 21st | Liverpool | A | L | 1–4 | Moffat | 30,536 |
| 24 March 1934 | 20th | Portsmouth | H | W | 3–1 | Barkas pen, Guest, Mangnall | 13,479 |
| 28 March 1934 | 19th | Leicester City | H | W | 3–0 | Sharman og, Moffat, Mangnall | 7,846 |
| 31 March 1934 | 20th | Sunderland | A | L | 1–4 | Booton pen | 14,158 |
| 3 April 1934 | 19th | Sheffield Wednesday | H | W | 3–0 | Catlin og, Roberts, Guest | 24,021 |
| 7 April 1934 | 21st | Chelsea | H | L | 0–3 | | 29,104 |
| 14 April 1934 | 20th | Aston Villa | A | D | 1–1 | Calladine | 34,196 |
| 21 April 1934 | 19th | Tottenham Hotspur | H | W | 2–0 | Whatley og, Calladine | 24,576 |
| 28 April 1934 | 18th | Leicester City | A | W | 7–3 | Moffat, Guest 3, Mangnall, Roberts, Jones og | 16,981 |
| 5 May 1934 | 20th | Huddersfield Town | H | L | 1–3 | Barkas pen | 14,785 |

### League table (part)

Final First Division table (part) :
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts |
| 18th | Liverpool | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 79 | 87 | 0.91 | 38 |
| 19th | Chelsea | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 67 | 69 | 0.97 | 36 |
| 20th | Birmingham | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 54 | 56 | 0.96 | 36 |
| 21st | Newcastle United | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 68 | 77 | 0.88 | 34 |
| 22nd | Sheffield United | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 58 | 101 | 0.57 | 31 |
| 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 | 13 January 1934 | Sheffield United | H | W | 2–1 | Robertson, Haywood | 33,177 |
| Fourth round | 27 January 1934 | Charlton Athletic | H | W | 1–0 | Morrall | 30,203 |
| Fifth round | 17 February 1934 | Leicester City | H | L | 1–2 | Haywood | 48,561 |

## Appearances and goals

    This table includes appearances and goals in nationally organised competitive matches – the Football League and FA Cup – only.
    For a description of the playing positions, see Formation (association football)#2–3–5 (Pyramid).
    Players marked † left the club during the playing season.
Players' appearances and goals by competition :
| Name | Position | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | Total | Total |
| Name | Position | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Frank Clack | Goalkeeper | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Len Evans | Goalkeeper | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Harry Hibbs | Goalkeeper | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| Ned Barkas | Full back | 36 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 2 |
| Harold Booton | Full back | 39 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 1 |
| Jimmy Cringan | Full back | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Bernard Smith | Full back | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Charlie Calladine | Half back | 42 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 2 |
| Tom Fillingham | Half back | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| Isaac Lea | Half back | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| George Morrall | Half back | 28 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 1 |
| Lewis Stoker | Half back | 39 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| Jack Sykes | Half back | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Joe Bradford | Forward | 31 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 5 |
| Ernie Curtis † | Forward | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Bob Gregg † | Forward | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tom Grosvenor | Forward | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 |
| Billy Guest | Forward | 16 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 5 |
| George Haywood | Forward | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Bill Horsman | Forward | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| Francis McGurk | Forward | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 |
| Dave Mangnall | Forward | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 |
| Sid Moffat | Forward | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 |
| Fred Roberts | Forward | 28 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 2 |
| Jimmy Robertson | Forward | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
| Fred Shaw | Forward | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Sam Smith | Forward | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
| Jack Thorogood | Forward | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Frank White | Forward | 17 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 5 |