# 1979–80 Birmingham City F.C. season

The 1979–80 Football League season was Birmingham City Football Club's 77th in the Football League and their 32nd in the Second Division, to which they were relegated in 1978–79. They finished in third position in the 22-team division, level on points with Chelsea but with a better goal difference, so were promoted to the First Division for 1980–81. They entered the 1979–80 FA Cup in the third round proper and lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the fifth, and were eliminated from the third round of the League Cup by Exeter City. They also entered the Anglo-Scottish Cup, but failed to progress past the group stage.
Twenty-one players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were eleven different goalscorers. Midfielder Alan Curbishley appeared in all 51 first-team games of the season – defender Joe Gallagher missed only one – and Keith Bertschin was the club's top scorer with 18 goals, of which 12 were scored in the league.

## Football League Second Division

The league programme did not end on the same day for all clubs. Although Birmingham were in second place after their last match, on 3 May, the last Second Division fixture was played nine days later, they were overtaken by Sunderland, and finished third.
| Date | League position | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 18 August 1979 | 15th | Fulham | H | L | 3–4 | Evans, Dillon, Bertschin | 19,330 |
| 22 August 1979 | 22nd | Sunderland | A | L | 0–2 | | 25,877 |
| 25 August 1979 | 16th | Cardiff City | A | W | 2–1 | Evans 2 | 11,465 |
| 1 September 1979 | 16th | Bristol Rovers | H | D | 1–1 | Dillon | 15,320 |
| 8 September 1979 | 13th | Chelsea | A | W | 2–1 | Lynex, Curbishley | 17,711 |
| 15 September 1979 | 7th | Charlton Athletic | H | W | 1–0 | Lynex | 16,155 |
| 22 September 1979 | 9th | Orient | A | D | 2–2 | Lynex, Curbishley | 5,550 |
| 29 September 1979 | 9th | Newcastle United | H | D | 0–0 | | 19,967 |
| 6 October 1979 | 11th | Preston North End | A | D | 0–0 | | 10,772 |
| 9 October 1979 | 6th | Sunderland | H | W | 1–0 | Lynex | 18,960 |
| 13 October 1979 | 11th | Wrexham | A | L | 0–1 | | 13,693 |
| 20 October 1979 | 7th | Swansea City | H | W | 2–0 | Lynex, Gemmill | 18,624 |
| 27 October 1979 | 5th | Shrewsbury Town | H | W | 1–0 | Ainscow | 17,869 |
| 3 November 1979 | 5th | Fulham | A | W | 4–2 | Gemmill pen, Givens 2, Lock og | 8,338 |
| 10 November 1979 | 3rd | Cambridge United | H | W | 1–0 | Lynex | 17,120 |
| 17 November 1979 | 6th | Watford | A | L | 0–1 | | 14,378 |
| 24 November 1979 | 6th | Luton Town | A | W | 3–2 | Bertschin 3 | 13,720 |
| 1 December 1979 | 6th | Leicester City | H | L | 1–2 | Gallagher | 25,748 |
| 8 December 1979 | 6th | Notts County | A | D | 1–1 | Lynex | 11,383 |
| 15 December 1979 | 5th | Burnley | H | W | 2–0 | Worthington 2 | 13,997 |
| 21 December 1979 | 6th | Oldham Athletic | A | L | 0–1 | | 6,728 |
| 29 December 1979 | 6th | Cardiff City | H | W | 2–1 | Worthington, Bertschin | 16,682 |
| 1 January 1980 | 5th | Queens Park Rangers | H | W | 2–1 | Ainscow, Gemmill | 25,963 |
| 12 January 1980 | 6th | Bristol Rovers | A | L | 0–1 | | 9,351 |
| 2 February 1980 | 5th | Charlton Athletic | A | W | 1–0 | Gemmill | 6,821 |
| 9 February 1980 | 5th | Orient | H | W | 3–1 | Bertschin 3 | 17,474 |
| 20 February 1980 | 5th | Newcastle United | A | D | 0–0 | | 27,069 |
| 23 February 1980 | 4th | Wrexham | H | W | 2–0 | Dillon, Evans | 19,302 |
| 29 February 1980 | 1st | Swansea City | A | W | 1–0 | Lynex | 16,363 |
| 8 March 1980 | 4th | Shrewsbury Town | A | L | 0–1 | | 14,801 |
| 11 March 1980 | 1st | Chelsea | H | W | 5–1 | Broadhurst, Borota og, Dillon, Ainscow 2 | 27,297 |
| 15 March 1980 | 2nd | Preston North End | H | D | 2–2 | Gemmill pen, Worthington | 19,548 |
| 22 March 1980 | 3rd | Cambridge United | A | L | 1–2 | Smith og | 6,805 |
| 29 March 1980 | 2nd | Watford | H | W | 2–0 | Bertschin, Gemmill pen | 16,582 |
| 1 April 1980 | 2nd | Oldham Athletic | H | W | 2–0 | Gemmill, Ainscow | 17,118 |
| 5 April 1980 | 1st | Queens Park Rangers | A | D | 1–1 | Dillon | 16,609 |
| 7 April 1980 | 1st | West Ham United | H | D | 0–0 | | 28,377 |
| 12 April 1980 | 4th | Leicester City | A | L | 1–2 | Gemmill pen | 26,075 |
| 19 April 1980 | 4th | Luton Town | H | W | 1–0 | Bertschin | 23,662 |
| 22 April 1980 | 1st | West Ham United | A | W | 2–1 | Ainscow, Bertschin | 36,167 |
| 26 April 1980 | 2nd | Burnley | A | D | 0–0 | | 10,388 |
| 3 May 1980 | 3rd | Notts County | H | D | 3–3 | Bertschin, Curbishley, Dillon | 33,863 |

### League table (part)

Final Second Division table (part) :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1st | Leicester City | 42 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 58 | 38 | +20 | 55 |
| 2nd | Sunderland | 42 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 69 | 42 | +27 | 54 |
| 3rd | Birmingham City | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 58 | 38 | +20 | 53 |
| 4th | Chelsea | 42 | 23 | 7 | 12 | 66 | 52 | +14 | 53 |
| 5th | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 75 | 53 | +22 | 49 |

## FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Third round | 5 January 1980 | Southampton | H | W | 2–1 | Bertschin, Gallagher | 24,548 |
| Fourth round | 26 January 1980 | Middlesbrough | H | W | 2–1 | Gemmill pen, Bertschin | 29,152 |
| Fifth round | 16 February 1980 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | L | 1–3 | Bertschin | 49,936 |

## League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Second round 1st leg | 28 August 1979 | Preston North End | H | W | 2–1 | Ainscow, Dillon | 13,660 |
| Second round 2nd leg | 4 September 1979 | Preston North End | A | W | 1–0 | Lynex | 11,043 |
| Third round | 26 September 1979 | Exeter City | H | L | 1–2 | Ainscow | 13,669 |

## Anglo-Scottish Cup

| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Group stage | 4 August 1979 | Bristol City | H | L | 0–4 | | 7,631 |
| Group stage | 6 August 1979 | Plymouth Argyle | A | D | 1–1 | Bertschin | 3,137 |
| Group stage | 8 August 1979 | Fulham | A | W | 5–0 | Bertschin 2, Evans, Ainscow, Dillon | 2,899 |

## Appearances and goals

    Numbers in parentheses denote appearances made as a substitute.
    Players with name in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Birmingham.
    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 | Anglo-Scottish Cup | Anglo-Scottish Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Nat. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | ENG | Neil Freeman | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| GK | ENG | Jeff Wealands | 40 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 46 (1) | 0 |
| DF | ENG | Kevan Broadhurst | 23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| DF | SCO | Jimmy Calderwood | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| DF | ENG | Mark Dennis | 40 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 |
| DF | ENG | Joe Gallagher | 41 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 2 |
| DF | ENG | Terry Lees | 9 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 (1) | 0 |
| DF | WAL | Malcolm Page | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| DF | ENG | Colin Todd | 33 (1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 (1) | 0 |
| DF | ENG | Tony Towers | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| DF | WAL | Pat Van Den Hauwe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 |
| MF | ENG | Alan Ainscow | 37 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 7 |
| MF | ENG | Alan Curbishley | 40 (2) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49 (2) | 3 |
| MF | ENG | Kevin Dillon | 30 (1) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 (1) | 1 | 35 (2) | 5 |
| MF | SCO | Archie Gemmill | 37 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 9 |
| MF | SCO | Willie Johnston * | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| MF | ENG | Steve Lynex | 20 (10) | 8 | 0 (3) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 24 (13) | 9 |
| FW | ENG | Keith Bertschin | 34 (3) | 12 | 3 | 3 | 1 (1) | 0 | 3 | 3 | 41 (4) | 18 |
| FW | ENG | Tony Evans | 10 (3) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 15 (3) | 5 |
| FW | IRL | Don Givens | 7 (3) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 (3) | 2 |
| FW | ENG | Frank Worthington | 17 (2) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 (2) | 4 |